Nostalgic
by Neverstop13
Summary: What if Percy wrote the books about true events in his and Annabeth's life? It's going great as they start their life and their second adventure with the seven, until a package comes. It's a descendant of Gaea that wants to give her a second chance. Annabeth will use the only two things that can save them and the world all over again: Her 12-year-old self and the books.
1. Surprise

**Hi! So I came up with this idea...when I was in the shower, actually. Haha XD Um..it doesn't use every single quote from the books but there's a couple that will be showing up in here. I don't know what else to explain other than I don't own these PJO characters, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The apartment was silent except for the clacking against the keys on a keyboard. The place contained two people; a couple. One was in the extra room that the two made as an office. The other, the woman, was just walking into the living room.

She had been in the bathroom, having discovered something that would affect the both of them and their lives. It was something they had been waiting for, but it had shocked her completely, and she softly floated into the cozy living room and landed on the couch. Her fingers were pressed to her lips, where a ghost of a smile lingered, and her other hand rested on her stomach. Her gaze stayed on the floor and she wanted to burst out into a grin and start crying with tears of joy. But she still had one thought of fear. She didn't know why; she guessed it was just instincts.

The man, however, was in the office and he was the source of the clacking on the keyboard. He was almost done with his project, a surprise for his wife, and so he was feverishly, but thoughtfully, working so that it would be perfectly complete. You see, it was almost like an autobiography, what he was working on. It held the facts and timeline to how he and his wife met and the many adventures they had with their friend who was, literally, an animal.

His sea green eyes stared into the computer screen and they began to have a small pain settle behind them. But he didn't care. He was used to it; he would take an Aleve when he was done, to ease the pain. But now, he was finished—with only the _first_ series of his project. The second, he knew he would need the help of his wife and their other friends who joined him on this adventure.

But for now, he was done. And that was all that mattered because this project of his took more than five years to finish.

A sigh broke from his mouth and he leaned back in his small wooden chair. They didn't get very high pay checks, so the small quantity in their home was all they could afford—even the unpleasant wooden chair that put the crook in his back. But he didn't care either, and it felt better when a large crack sounded from his spine. His shoulders relaxed when that happened.

Then he leaned forward again, staring at his work, the final fifth book of his first series. A small smile crawled onto his parched lips; he licked them as he picked up the first book of the series, which was titled _The Lightning Thief_. On the cover, it was a teenage boy standing in water, his domain which he shared of his father, holding a glowing sword and Minotaur horn as he stared up at the tallest and most important buildings, The Empire State building.

Only he and his wife and all of their other friends knew what was _really_ inside that building. Or, rather, what was above it.

Percy Jackson hadn't shown his wife this first book yet either. He was waiting until the entire first series was published until he would give them to her. The only way Percy could have these books published—only _one_ copy for him and his wife—was through a long friend that encouraged the idea to Percy: Rick. Percy wanted Annabeth, his wife, to be one of the first to read it.

Percy looked at the stack of books beside his computer. There was an orange book on the top now, called _The Sea of Monsters_. And then a blue book, _The Titan's Curse_; and then the fourth, _The Battle of the Labyrinth_.

Now he was just beginning to send the last one, the manuscript, _The Last Olympian_, to his friend, Rick.

Percy could hear light footsteps becoming a little louder. Finally, they stopped and he turned around to find Annabeth standing in the doorway, her hand lightly on the doorframe.

She had a soft smile on her lips and her gray eyes churned at the sight of him. Her hand hovered over her stomach, still a bit wary of her surprise.

Percy smiled up at her.

She narrowed her eyes on him. "What are you working on in here?"

He stood, finally being able to stretch his long legs. "It's a surprise." Percy saw her eyes light up a little.

"Oh, really," she said as she stepped closer to him. "A surprise for _me_?"

"Uh-huh." He stepped closer to her too. "But you can't see it yet."

She glared at him a little. "Why not?"

"Because it's not done yet."

"When will it be done?"

"You're asking a lot of questions,"

"Well it is a surprise for _me_." Annabeth was right in front of him; her head tilted all the way up since he was so tall. "I have to ask questions, it's an instinct."

Percy laughed. "Oh, trust me, I know," he kissed her cheek and then took her hand to guide her out of the room. "You _are_ one of Athena's daughters."

She looked back at the desk. She gasped. "Does it have anything to do with those books?"

"Your question limit has run out." Percy sang tauntingly.

"Can't you just give me a hint?" Annabeth asked as she stood next to him, trying to peek through the door as he closed it behind them.

"That's a question, Wise Girl. And I'm not answering those anymore."

Annabeth swatted his arm. "Give me a hint." She demanded.

"Fine. You already know what it is." He said.

"What? Then how can it be a surprise?" Her eyebrows pulled into each other in confusion.

"How about you wait until it's finished?"

"I thought your questions limit was all used up."

Percy opened his mouth to answer, but then closed it knowing that this wasn't going anywhere. He smiled. "I'm hungry," he finally said and he walked into the kitchen.

"You always are." She murmured under her breath. And then her stomach growled, too. The feeling put her mind into alert and she looked down at her stomach. It made her heart beat faster. "Come to think of it, I'm hungry too." Annabeth said to herself.

She followed her husband into their small and quaint kitchen. He was fishing around in a Doritos cool ranch bag, already munching on a chip. The chips may not have been blue, but the bag was.

Annabeth stole some as she reached into the bag and pulled out a handful and began slowly eating them one by one.

Percy, unfortunately, was not eating as slowly as she was. He would pull out a handful, and then stuff that handful in his mouth.

She laughed at him and he smiled with her. Her stomach growled again.

_Should I tell him now?_

"Hey, uh, I've got a surprise for you, too." Annabeth said.

Percy stopped eating so fast and his eyebrows went up again. "Really? What is it?"

She was about to protest about how if he couldn't tell her, she wasn't going to tell him. But Percy stopped her as he changed his mind.

"No, no, no. Never mind. Tell me when I give you your surprise."

"Well…that's just it." Annabeth said as she drew invisible circles on the countertop next to them. "I have to know how long your surprise for me is going to take. Mine's…limited, I guess you could say,"

Percy looked uneasy for a second. "To be truthful, I'm not sure how long it'll take. Not too long, maybe a couple months."

Annabeth finally looked up at him from the counter. She looked at him with shock. "How—what are you planning for me?"

She could tell by the look on his face and the spark in his eyes that he was about to say something smart-alecky and sarcastic. She held out a hand to stop him and said, "Yeah, yeah, I know: your question limit is up."

Percy chuckled as he leaned down and kissed her; just a small peck on the lips. Annabeth couldn't help but give a small smirk, trying to suppress her grin, and her cheeks having a small blush crawl across them.

He pulled back and stared at her, like a challenge with this surprise "game" going on, and she gave him a short glare. They both ate a chip as if saying: _Let the game begin._

* * *

Half a month or so later, Percy was told that the one book would get published into one copy in about another couple of months, since it was only one copy.

Percy smiled and said that that was great. After he hung up with Rick, he was able to tell Annabeth the deadline.

Annabeth smiled, her gray eyes turning into a storm, which told Percy that she was very interested to see the surprise.

But she was also worried; she didn't know if, by then, he would be able to see the difference and already tell what her surprise was. She didn't want that to happen, not really, because she wanted to tell him herself.

Nonetheless, she was excited for these next couple of months.

* * *

Percy got the book in the mail. The cover was beautiful, blue, but slightly greenish, and him on his Pegasus, Blackjack, shadows making it look dramatic and eerie. He loved it and now he couldn't wait to show Annabeth.

But then again, he was nervous. This was their life he was showing her. So he took the book into his office and laid it under all the others. He hid them behind his back, holding them with both hands, and he walked back out to find Annabeth sitting on their small couch, watching TV.

"Annabeth," he sang tauntingly, "guess what?"

"What?"

"I have your surprise," he sat down next to her.

She sat up straight, turning the TV off. Her wide gray eyes were a deep hurricane and she stared at him. "Really; let me see it!" Annabeth noticed his hands behind her back and so she reached forward to snatch it from him.

He leaned back, trying to get out of her reach, and he said, "Now, wait a minute."

She sat back, partly because he practically told her to, and partly because she could feel something move in her belly. It startled her and she decided to calm down because she was too afraid to disturb it.

Percy was surprised that she had actually listened to him, but he took that as a sign that she was really attended to see what this surprise was.

He straightened back to his original position. "Now," he said, "close your eyes."

She gave him an irritated look, her jaw set.

"Do you wanna see the surprise or not?"

She rolled her eyes and huffed, but nonetheless reluctantly closed her eyes.

Percy eyed her, making sure she wasn't peeking. And then he carefully took the books from behind his back and placed them on her lap.

Annabeth didn't open her eyes yet but her hands moved to touch them. Her fingers gingerly clutched them but Percy watched her expression. With her eyes still closed, her brows furrowed and her lips pressed, her eyes squeezing tighter. But then they flew open and she looked down at what her hands were touching.

She gasped. "I knew it! I was right!"

Percy chuckled. "Partially. You don't know what they're about." He said.

This made her smile a little and she picked up the first book, _The Lightning Thief_, and flipped it over to look at the back to read the summary. Her lips parted. "It's about you,"

Percy didn't answer as he watched her dig further to fully understand what it was about.

She opened up the book, reading the first page. Her lips parted even more and Percy watched her eyes dart back and forth, her brow furrowing. She then skipped the next couple of pages and gasped again. "And Grover!"

Percy began to smile.

She skipped some more pages and stopped again as her smile grew broader. "And Chiron and I." Annabeth closed the book and picked up the next one. Her smile grew again and it was a process as she looked at the other books. "There's no author name," she observed.

"Well…I didn't really want the book going public just yet," Percy said as he rubbed the back of his neck, "So Rick didn't put my name on there."

"You wrote these. You wrote a series about us?" She looked up at him.

He nodded with a grin.

"Everything?"

"Anything I could remember."

"Even when we were with the other five?"

"No. I decided…that maybe we could talk to them to get their point of views, too. Since we weren't _always_ there with them,"

Annabeth looked back down at the books as if to gather her thoughts. She then flung her arms around his neck, hugging him and exclaiming, "I love it!"

Percy returned the hug and said into her honey blonde hair, "I'm glad you did." Then a thought occurred to him and he pulled back. "Now what's your surprise?"

Annabeth's face fell as if suddenly remembering about it. "Oh…" her voice faltered a little. But then the grin came back onto her face, looking like it was new and refreshing. "Percy…" she started as she took his hands into hers.

This made Percy worry. She said it in a way that he knew it was more important than his stack of books.

She blinked and gave an airy laugh. "I'm not sure how to say this…" and then she jumped like somebody had startled her by poking her side. "Here," Annabeth said softly and took his palm and set it on her stomach.

Percy's face paled. "Annabeth…" he already had a hunch on what she was trying to tell him.

"Shh," she shushed as she waited for it to happen again. Percy's eyes lingered on her face again—her eyes looking down at her own stomach and a small smile like she was waiting for a miracle to happen.

Percy felt something different about her stomach. It was more swollen and round than usual. He blinked and his eyes grew wider. And then that's when he felt it. It was a small tremor—nothing big just something very, very tiny; like something nudging the inside of her stomach.

It made his heart skip a beat. Could this really be possible? Was he going to be a dad? It took his breath away and then that made him think: _Oh, gods, am I going to pass out? _

He took a deep breath and looked up at Annabeth who was beaming at him. Percy choked out a laugh, unable to catch his breath. He began to blink rapidly and kind of hyperventilating. But nonetheless, the ends of his mouth tugged upwards into a smile, growing larger and larger until it was the same size as Annabeth's.

He kept his hand on her stomach and felt it again. It made them start to laugh a little together until they both looked like lunatics, grinning like crazy and their hearts beating so fast because the thought finally occurred to them: they're going to start their family.

"You're going to be a dad," Annabeth was finally able to tell him.

Percy couldn't even coherent a single word or syllable. It was just babbling and the only thing he could do was hug her and kiss her cheek.

But he was actually able to say, "That's…_amazing_!"

Annabeth grinned. She picked up the books again. "These must be amazing, too."

Percy blushed. "Yeah, but…not as important as our family,"

"You never know. It could be equally as important. The baby might like listening to our story." She had a silver glint in her eye.

"Let's find out,"

Percy took _The Lightning Thief_ book and opened it to the first page. He began reading. "Chapter one: I accidentally vaporize my pre-algebra teacher. Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood."

He stopped and looked up at her. She smiled and said, "It moved when you said half-blood."

Percy smiled back and took that as a sign to keep reading. "If you're reading this because you think you might be one…" He continued reading for her.

* * *

About six or more months later, they decided to start the next series. The couple, expecting their baby boy any day now, invited their friends, Jason and Piper, over. The two were engaged; Leo would've come, too, but he was caught up with his work—one of the most successful repairing businesses out there. That wasn't surprising for these four, since they knew who his godly parent was.

But it was okay that Leo wasn't there, because the first chapter would be in Jason's point of view. They talked about it and laughed about Leo's first words to Jason on the bus. Percy and Annabeth wrote it all down.

Annabeth sat on the comfortable leather wheelie chair with her swollen belly that was much bigger than a couple months ago. Her hand lightly rested on it because she loved to feel their baby move inside of her. And it normally did that when they talked about the events of their past and as they talked about Greek mythology. She liked that.

Jason and Piper sat on the couch, holding hands as they explained the storm at the Grand Canyon and how Jason dove down to save a falling Piper.

They had already written down the main concept together, but now they were just getting the details of dialogue. Even without the dialogue, it was at least fifty pages.

Their small session was interrupted when there was a knock on the door. They jumped, startled from the sudden knock, and everyone's heads whipped to the door.

Percy got up from the floor; his papers sprawled across the coffee table. "That must be Leo," he said as he lightly jogged to the door of their apartment. He opened it with a big smile on his face, about to greet in his friend, but then it fell when he realized it wasn't Leo.

It was a teenage boy with a large box on a small blue lift, which made it easier to carry with the wheels.

"I'm here to deliver a package, sir," he said, his voice eerily deep.

Percy got the gut feeling that there was something wrong about this guy. Something he just couldn't quite put his finger on. Maybe it was the scary muscles bulging from under his collared shirt or the way his eyes glowed. Maybe it was the ugly mullet that went down the back of his neck.

But he decided not to make a scene about it. He looked over his shoulder at the couple on the couch, a cocky smile on his face. "Okay, what'd you get us?" he asked them.

They stared back at him with their eyebrows furrowed and their eyes narrowed in confusion. They were just as skeptical as Percy was.

"It wasn't us unless Leo's hiding inside of the box," Piper said while shaking her head softly.

Jason murmured to her where only she and Annabeth could hear. "I don't think so." He was getting that gut feeling too. He knew there was something unusual about this.

Jason stood from the couch and slowly walked towards Percy and the new man. He had his hands stuffed in his pockets, instinctively fingering his coin.

Percy gave Jason a look that only he could see: _Do you know what's going on?_

"No," Jason answered. "We didn't get you anything. No offense," he chuckled.

Percy nodded his head. "It's fine." He mumbled. He turned back to the teenager with the large package. "Do you know who it's from?"

"No," he answered. "Can you let me in so I bring in the package?"

Percy stared down at the guy's hand which was gripping the handle to the blue carrier so much that his knuckles were turning white. Percy was hesitant. "Not even an address?"

He shook his head.

"That's unusual."

"Can you let me?" He repeated.

Percy hadn't answered and Jason stopped a foot behind Percy. The guy nudged it forward but Percy stopped him.

"I don't think I want the package. Thanks anyways,"

"I can't take it back. You have to take it."

"I don't want it." Percy said through gritted teeth.

The guy stepped back and his eyes began to glow. This made Percy's hand travel to his pocket where Riptide was.

The glow died down a little. "You have to take it. Let me in."

Percy could tell he was beginning to get mad. He took a last glance at the teenager's white knuckles and actually found the skin begin to split open, ripping larger and larger up the back of his hand.

Percy sighed. They just couldn't get a break.

"I don't think so," Percy said and he saw the boy try to barge in. Percy did the best he could do and tried to shut the door on him. But he was strong and he used the package to barrel through. The force made Percy fly back through the air, slam into Jason and push him back. The two flew right into a wall. It knocked Jason out, the poor guy.

Piper cried out and Annabeth was on the edge of her seat as she looked with her expression ashen, at Percy. He began to sit up and shook the bits and dust of wall plaster from his black hair.

Then he paused as he stared wide-eyed at what used to be the teenage boy at the front door with the package. His hand morphed into the box and the box swallowed him.

"What!" Percy hissed. Out of all the monsters he'd seen, that was probably one the first that made him think insane thoughts.

The cardboard box transformed, rising higher and higher and as it did, it began to melt off in shreds. Like a snake coming out of its skin. Underneath was a giant monster (go figure) with green skin and his greasy, black hair slicked back as a mullet. The sight was horrifying to Percy. Its claws grew and he had a necklace dangling around his neck. Its head touched the ceiling and it stared down on Percy and Jason hungrily with its glowing amber eyes.

"Jason," Percy said, not taking his eyes off of the monster, and began to poke his leg. "Please get up. Don't be unconscious again. I'm really going to need your help this time."

But he didn't move and Percy looked over his shoulder. Jason was still, but still breathing. Percy felt sorry for him because he was always getting hit in the head.

Percy turned back to the monster and realized that he and Piper were all alone in fighting this thing. He suddenly felt sorry for _them_.

The monster laughed as it also saw how few fighters they had. "See? You could not defeat us!"

"Who are you?!" Percy asked.

"I am a descendant of Gaea! You may have won before, but I have returned and I will avenge her!" It lashed out at Percy and he rolled to the side. It missed him and Jason just barely.

"Piper, get Jason! I've got this lizard!" He pulled out his pen and it grew into his sword.

"Oh! I feel _so scared_!" The monster screeched.

Percy felt annoyed. Why didn't they just ever die and go away already? "You should be," he grumbled. "You came into _my_ home! And intruders should feel my wrath!"

Annabeth shook her head exasperatedly.

The monster threw his big head back, laughing. Percy ran forward and slashed at his knee. It closed right up.

"You cannot kill me with your tiny sword!" It flicked at Percy, and he slammed into the couch. The monster scoffed. "Puny demigod,"

Percy scrambled up and quickly helped Piper set Jason up beside the couch. Piper seemed offended by what the monster had said.

"Yeah," Percy spat, "we're not puny,"

But Piper hadn't seemed to hear him. "How dare you!" she screamed. Piper brought out her dagger, just for handy, but really what she used was her cornucopia. She aimed it right at its belly and out bellowed a watermelon. It made him stumble back because her anger gave it so much force. Then she aimed it at its toe and made the biggest pineapple ever seen shoot out and it stuck against its foot. It bellowed in pain and rage and bent down, caressing its big, stinky toe.

Piper laid a hand on her hip and said smugly, "You are _not_ the Hulk,"

But this only angered him even more. He roared and slammed his hand against her, pushing her back next to Annabeth.

Annabeth felt helpless, like there was nothing she could do to help. All she could do was sit on the chair and she looked around to find something she could throw at the monster, but she knew that it would then be attracted to her. And that wouldn't be a good thing.

She felt something trickle down her leg. Annabeth jumped out of her skin and looked down and she finally realized that her stomach felt weird. Her eyes widened and she began to hyperventilate.

"Annabeth," Piper asked as she sat up. "Are you okay—" She saw the water. "Oh, my gods,"

"It's happening," Annabeth said, barely above a whisper.

"Percy!" Piper hollered.

"What?" Percy snapped at the monster. "What do you want?"

"To avenge Gaea and kill you!"

"Yeah, well how do you plan on doing that? The goddess of dirt is dead; gone!"

"Well, I have something most of your enemies don't have—I am going to rewind time!"

"What?! How the hell is that possible?"

The monster bellowed into laughter. He pointed his triangular necklace at Jason and some sort of spiral of light beamed at him and he was gone. Then he reappeared by the couch and murmured, "I don't think so," as he stood up. He blinked when he saw the scene and he rubbed his head.

"Whoa," he said, "what just happened?"

"When will any of this just end?" Percy grumbled under his breath.

"_Percy_!" the two girls yelled in unison.

He looked back at them and he asked in a high voice, "What?"

"It's happening!" Annabeth cried.

"_IT_?" his eyebrows rose to his hairline.

Annabeth nodded.

"_Now_? _Right now?_ At the worst possible time in the _world_?"

"Yes—" Annabeth ended it with a sharp cry from a pain in her stomach.

Jason jumped into action and brought out his sword. He and Percy stood beside each other. "Don't worry. We've got to kill _him_ first," Jason gestured to the monster at the emphasized word.

Percy nodded and hollered over his shoulder, "Just hold on, Annabeth!"

"You Kelp Head, I can't hold off a _freaking_ _baby_!" Annabeth screamed back.

Percy shrugged. "Well, that's a good sign."

"What's a good sign?" Jason asked.

"That she's got her attitude back," Percy then lunged out at the monster and they began to fight.

Annabeth had to think. She had to help. She took the information from what the monster had said—that he was going to try and "rewind time", which meant he was going back to when they were kids and before any of this happened and try to mess them up. To try and let Gaea win—giving the earth goddess a second chance. Annabeth was _not_ going to sit back and watch _that_ happen. She had to use what she had to her advantage. Then the thought occurred to her.

Piper told Annabeth to stay there because she had to help the guys first in order for all of them to help Annabeth. But the blonde caught her wrist. "No, I need you to get something for me."

"What do you need?"

Annabeth instructed her where to go and Piper nodded and sprinted past the monster without being seen and went through the kitchen, since the hallway to the front office was a little busy at the moment. She went inside and rummaged through the desk. With shaky hands, she finally found the stack of five books. She took them and hastily grabbed as much of the Hermes Express supplies as possible. Then she ran back to Annabeth, who had wobbled over to the coffee table and took all their notes.

They both met back up at the other desk Annabeth had been sitting at.

"What are you doing?" Piper asked as Annabeth took what was gathered in her arms and it sprawled out over the desktop.

"I—" she groaned in pain. "It's a long story. Go help them!" She shooed Piper away.

Reluctantly, Piper ran back to help the two men fight the monster.

Annabeth inhaled sharply through her mouth and exhaled slowly through her nose. She had to try and calm down and not think that her son was on his way to come into the world.

Her hands flew across the desk. She laid out a sheet of orange paper and set the books on it, to see if it'd fit. It didn't and she screamed—in pain and frustration. She threw the papers to the ground. Annabeth decided to ignore that part right now and she took out a piece of lined paper and scribbled a letter on it, saying to the person who would get this that they had to read the books and notes in order and had to stick to what _really_ happened. That it would be hard, but that they would get through it. She was asking for the person to help them.

Annabeth slipped it into an envelope—which they kept in the desk drawer, not bothering to close it, and she wrote on the top: _To Annabeth_.

She put the envelope under the flap of the Lightning Thief, and put the fifty pages of notes under the books. Annabeth had to think. What could she secure the books in?

There was a feeling in her stomach and lower abdomen like someone took a poisonous knife and stabbed her there—and she knew how that felt. She screamed and clutched her stomach, then took sharp breaths through her teeth. It hurt, and she wondered how all of this could possibly work out.

Annabeth put the notes in a long orange envelope instead and set that and the stack of books into a box with the words: _Hermes Express_ on the side.

She took a sharpie and scribbled roughly on it:

_Annabeth Chase_

_Camp Half-Blood; Half-Blood Hill,_

_Athena Cabin_

_Long Island, NY_

She didn't write a return address or name.

Percy and Annabeth kept a mug on the desk full of drachmas. She took a handful into an envelope and before she put it on the package, she prayed to the gods. The glow from the monster's necklace was beginning to settle over the entire apartment.

"_Please_," she said to her mother, Zeus, and Hermes, and just about all of the gods as tears streaked her cheeks. "Please let this work. We didn't fight through Tartarus for nothing."

Once she set the envelope of drachmas on the package, there was a sound like a cash register and the package popped into thin air, but it all felt faint and far away. She cried out because there was a sharp pain that was worse than the others—it overwhelmed her completely.

The last thing she heard before there was nothing, was Percy calling out her name.

There was a blinding white flash, and then everything was gone.

* * *

_12 Years Earlier…_

Her gray eyes focused on the target a couple feet away from her. She lined her bow up and stared right at the center. Everything was calm and quiet around her and she knew—by the trajectory and lines and equations floating inside her head—that she would make a perfect bull's eye.

But just before the cue went off, and just before she let go of the arrow, there was a sudden pain that thundered through her stomach so instantly, that she dropped everything that was in her hands.

Annabeth's eyes widened as she gasped hoarsely and she doubled over, her hands clutching her stomach. The pain spread over her lower abdomen and she groaned, wondering where this sudden pain came from. It was so sharp that she felt she couldn't straighten back up.

She tried to when she saw the look Chiron gave her.

She hoped her appendix wasn't erupting. That wouldn't be good.

The archers around her looked at her and she sucked in breath and stood back up, acting as if she was all right, but she really wasn't. Her ankles and knees began to wobble vigorously.

_Oh, stop being a baby, Annabeth. It doesn't hurt that bad._

But it did and that couldn't escape her mind. Why was her stomach hurting this bad so suddenly?

Her hands shook as she picked up and aligned her bow; one eye peeked at the target ahead of her again. They were shaking so bad that she thought she was going crazy and when she let go of the arrow, it almost hit another camper.

"Sorry!" she hollered as the camper cursed at her.

Chiron trotted over and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay, Annabeth?" His eyes that stared at her were filled with concern.

"I'm fine, Chiron." Annabeth snipped as she took another bow from her quiver and tried to put it into her bow. Her hands were still shaking so bad, and she felt lightheaded. Beads of sweat trickled along her hairline where her hair was pulled back.

"No, you're not. You're very pale. I think you should take the rest of the day off and rest."

"Chiron—!"

"Annabeth, I don't think you should be out here." He tilted his head to the side. "You seem a little uneasy. Go rest."

"I'm—" she tried to say but doubled over again as the pain was excruciating.

"Malcolm, help Annabeth to her cabin," Chiron ordered.

Her half-brother nodded and set down his bow and quiver, jogged over to her, put her arm over his shoulders, and helped her back to their cabin. Her knees and ankles were still wobbly and so she didn't resist.

Malcolm helped her settle into her bed when he asked what was wrong.

"I don't know!" She exclaimed and shrugged with a fierce jerk. "I was fine when suddenly my stomach just—" Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut and crouched forward, clutching the area that it hurt.

"Here, take some ambrosia," Malcolm said and fed it to her.

A warm feeling spread over her, and although the pain was fading a little, it still felt like pinpricking needles.

"Thanks," she said.

"Now, get some rest. I mean it." He pointed a stern finger at her.

She nodded and settled back down, lying on her side and taking her other pillow and hugging it close to her body. Soon, she drifted off to sleep, but had a strange dream—which wasn't a surprise, she had one every night. But this one was different.

She was in a light blue apartment, sitting at a desk with supplies from _Hermes Express_. There was a black-haired man, a blond-haired man, and a girl with choppy brown hair fighting a giant monster with his skin peeling and a shiny necklace around his neck.

She was in a hurry to do something. She wasn't sure what, but she knew that all of their lives depended on it. But she didn't know these people—she hadn't seen them in camp before.

Annabeth was writing something, asking for help. And she prayed to the gods that this would work.

There was a blinding white flash and a _thud!_

Annabeth woke up abruptly at that noise sweating and with tears streaking her cheeks. Her blankets were thrown around like she had been thrashing and she was breathing heavily. The pain in her stomach was gone, like it had all been just with the dream.

Annabeth swallowed and took deep breaths as she rubbed her temples to calm herself down. When her breathing and heart rate was under control, she thought back through the dream that seemed so real.

She had woken up to the thudding sound. She realized that that came from the real world—not the dream.

She knew this because when she woke up, she found a box on her desk that hadn't been there before.

Annabeth paused. She slowly stood from her bed and walked across the room to her desk. It was a small box and on the side, in bold letters, it said _Hermes Express_. She remembered that company from her dream.

On the top, it said her name and _exactly_ where she lived. She found this odd because nobody really knows outside of Camp Half-Blood, except for her dad, which she knew it probably wasn't from him. Annabeth didn't know who this came from because there was no return address.

She popped open the flaps and opened the box.

What was inside it surprised Annabeth. Her brows furrowed and she gingerly took out what was inside: a stack of books on top of an orange folder. The book on top was titled _The Lightning Thief_.

* * *

**And there's the first chapter! I hope you guys liked it, and if you did, please review :) **


	2. Meeting Percy

Annabeth pulled out the top book and something slipped from under the flap and spiraled to the floor. It was an envelope; she bent down and picked it up from where it lay on her shoes. It wasn't sealed and she slipped out the paper that was inside.

It was a letter and whoever wrote it seemed to be in a hurry because their handwriting took over multiple lines and was all scribbly. She could barely even read it, apart from her dyslexia.

_Annabeth,_

_ You have to listen, you have no choice. Everyone is in danger if you don't follow exactly what happens in these books. Whether you think it's crazy or not, you absolutely have to. Don't tell anyone else; just you. READ THE BOOKS CAREFULLLY._

Also, on this letter, there was no return address. Annabeth figured that maybe it was her mother. Last time she'd had a gift from her mom, it was a Yankees hat that could make her turn invisible whenever atop her head. She always loved it when she gave her gifts because that was when Annabeth felt the most connected to Athena.

Annabeth laid down the letter and looked at the cover of _The Lightning Thief. _It looked interesting enough with the boy in the sea and the lightning crackling around the Empire State Building.

Her camp just went there last week, for a field trip, to Olympus. It was magnificent, but ever since then, the weather has been acting strangely.

She opened the book and to the first page on chapter one. Her eyebrows knitted together at the title.

"I accidentally vaporize my pre-algebra teacher?" She whispered to herself. "What?"

"Hey, Annabeth," A voice said. She turned and found Malcolm standing at her door. "You up for archery this time?"

Annabeth set the book and letter back into the box. "Definitely," she said.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. My stomach doesn't hurt." She walked to him and they walked to their class together.

They were talking when suddenly Annabeth saw a flash of sandy blonde hair. She looked closer and found that it was Luke. He caught her eye and waved. She waved back and he jogged over.

"I'll see you at class, Annabeth," Malcolm sang tauntingly.

Annabeth shot him a glare and could feel her ears burning.

"Hey, Annabeth!" Luke hollered and stopped right in front of her.

"Hey, Luke,"

"I heard you got sick at archery the other day. Are you okay?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Why does everyone keep thinking I'm going to die? I'm not; it's not like I fell into Tartarus."

Luke laughed and his scar curved at his grin.

Annabeth felt her heart thump louder in her chest and she continued, "I'm fine, my stomach was just hurting a little bit."

"Really, 'cuz I heard you almost passed out."

Annabeth punched him in the arm. "Shut up," she said but couldn't stop from smiling…or blushing.

"Right, well good luck with archery class," Luke said and he jogged away.

Annabeth kept walking to archery and Chiron kept a wary eye on her. She prayed to the gods that whatever happened wouldn't happen again. It didn't as she fired the first arrow without any trouble. The rest came just as easily.

Everything was fine except she couldn't keep the thought of those books off her mind.

* * *

Annabeth walked back into her cabin later that day. She had finished all of her activities and now was the time to do something about those books. She tried to ignore it at first, but it felt like it just kept staring at her, talking to her. That letter was repeating its words over and over again in her head.

She sighed and walked over to the box and took out the first book. She took out the letter and read it over again. She wasn't sure if this was supposed to be some kind of joke or not. She decided that she needed help. She picked up the first book and wanted to tell Chiron about this.

Annabeth made her way across the camp to the Big House with the letter and book in hand. There wasn't anyone on the porch so she knew that Chiron and Mr. D were inside. She was about to open the door, but she heard voices inside.

"—by the Summer solstice," she heard Chiron say.

"Zeus is getting angry…I guess old thunderhead doesn't like getting toys taken away," Mr. D said, in which a thunderclap followed it. He apologized to the sky.

"Yes, but _how_ it was stolen, nobody knows. And nobody knows _who_ did it either. I suspect this may be the start of the prophecy, Dionysus,"

Annabeth's eyebrows wrinkled together. What prophecy? What was stolen? She looked down at the book and found a summary on the back. It was about a boy named—

"Oh, posh! That prophecy is probably just a fake, Chiron! There are no children of the Big Three here. It's not possible. It's more like the start of the gods' temper tantrum." Another thunderclap and blast of lightning. Mr. D apologized again.

"I was at Yancy for a couple days and Grover thinks he's found a very, very powerful half-blood."

"Grover's probably just desperate, seeing how he failed last time," Mr. D snapped. This made Annabeth mad. "There can't be another child of the Big Three, they made a pact."

"Dionysus, you know very well the gods never keep their promises."

"Oh, whatever, Chiron. Believe whatever you want to believe."

_Children of the Big Three? What happened? _Annabeth thought this to herself. She looked down at the cover again. Something in her stomach stirred and her heart tickled her chest. Somehow she knew that this had something to do with what was going on.

Suddenly, the door opened and she looked right up at the pudgy face of Mr. D. She gasped and stepped back and murmured an apology.

"Were you eavesdropping?" He questioned.

Before Annabeth could respond, Chiron stepped out as well and his face brightened. "Ah, Annabeth! How are you?"

"What's that you've got in your hand?" Mr. D asked as he eyed the book and the letter.

"Um…" Annabeth looked down at what was in her hands. Should she tell now? She remembered that the letter said not to tell _anyone_ because it was just her. She looked back up at their skeptical faces and she quickly hid them behind her back. "No-nothing." She said with a smile.

Mr. D gave her a look but she said, "Okay, bye!" And hurried away from the Big House.

She still didn't know what was happening, but she knew she had the things to find out how.

Annabeth locked the door to her room and sat down on her bed. She read the summary fully this time and her breath was knocked out of her when she read that Zeus's master lightning bolt has been stolen.

"That's not possible," She said and she put the book back down. "That's _so_ not possible."

Annabeth paced her room and she took back her bad habit of biting nails. She scolded herself and then stared at the book with a hand on her hip. She read the letter again, even though she knew every word that it said. She had no choice; she had to do this.

She left her cabin and went up to the Stoll brothers. She tried to mention the name of the book, _The Lightning Thief_, just to see if they'd trip up or confess or something.

But, no. They gave her looks and then Connor said, "What are you talking about? You can't steal lightning."

"But that would be so cool," Travis said and he had a dreamy and mischievous look in his eye.

That affected on Connor. He developed the look as well and said, "Yeah, it would,"

Annabeth could see that they had absolutely nothing to do with this. She went back to her cabin feeling more confused than ever. She wasn't sure if she should read the books or not. The letter seemed like it was all a matter of life and death—and it probably was. Annabeth wasn't sure if she could hold all the vital information to herself.

There was a knock on her door.

"Annabeth?" Malcolm's voice asked. "Hey, it's time for dinner."

"Coming!" she called. "Uh, just give me a couple seconds,"

"Alright. Everything okay in there?"

"Yes, Malcolm," she said. "I'm fine."

"Okay…" and she heard retreating footsteps.

Annabeth looked at the books one last time. She picked up _The Lightning Thief _again and hid it under her shirt and she walked out to dinner.

She read the first couple of chapters during dinner. Annabeth knew something was going on because _Grover_ was in the book. She almost did a spit take when she saw his name in there. And then there was the appearance of the man in the wheel chair and she knew immediately that that was Chiron.

The other campers in her cabin began to bug her about the book, demanding to see it. She just put it where nobody would try to get it—back under her shirt. Then they looked away and continued a conversation with someone else.

She tried to continue reading it during the camp fire, but everyone was in such a happy and uproaring mood that the bonfire was churning with bright colors and seemed to be reaching the sky. Nobody would let her mind go to something boring like books and they wouldn't let her escape to her cabin. So she had to keep hiding the book under her shirt.

Finally, in her cabin, there was a chance for her to read a little more of it. But she didn't take it. Throughout the rest of dinner and then the campfire, something unnerved her about this. Chiron and Grover were in it and it was about something big happening with this boy, Percy. Annabeth figured that it was something Chiron had to know about—or at least something she had to ask him about.

But Annabeth left the book in her cabin and went to the Big House again. She hesitated to walk up to Chiron, but she did anyways as she stepped into his office.

"Chiron,"

He looked up and his face brightened again, but he still had a troubled look. "Annabeth. Why are you here so late at night? You should be in your cabin or else—"

"Harpies. I know." Annabeth said and her heart was pounding in her chest. "I just really needed to talk to you about something."

"What's wrong?"

"A couple nights ago, I—"

She was interrupted by a moaning and screaming noise. They sounded helpless and terrified.

Annabeth stopped and her brows furrowed. "What's that noise?"

"I'm not quite sure. I'll go look." He wheeled himself from behind the desk and turned into centaur form and clopped out of his office. "Stay here, Annabeth,"

Nevertheless, Annabeth followed him out of the Big House.

What she saw made her eyes widen and her heart stop. It was a boy with black hair carrying a satyr—Grover. The other boy looked about Annabeth's age and like he was just about to collapse. Finally, he did collapse on the steps of the Big House right in front of Annabeth and Chiron.

Annabeth knelt beside him and she found that he looked vaguely familiar. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but he stared up at the ceiling, his sea green eyes looking disoriented and unfocused. He was mumbling incoherent things and finally, he passed out with Grover.

Chiron looked down at the boy with shock. "Percy," he mumbled.

Annabeth's head snapped up at the name. "What?"

He didn't answer and it made Annabeth worry.

But what worried her even more was that that was the name from the books.

* * *

**I hope you liked! Please review!**

**I do not own PJO.**


	3. A Tour She Already Knew About

Chiron had told Annabeth to stay with Percy in the infirmary.

She didn't like that one bit. She still hadn't told Chiron about the books. And, she was going to read a little more of _The Lightning Thief_ tonight.

But no, she was helping Grover and Percy in the infirmary. Grover healed quicker because he was more used to the ambrosia and nectar. But Percy was zonked out.

She had to sit by his side and feed him, make sure he was healing properly. Annabeth had to sit there and watch the drool as it slowly rolled from his lips and form a puddle on the pillow.

She wrinkled her nose and took a cloth and wiped it off. That didn't help because it didn't stop him from drooling.

Annabeth tried to ignore that and focus on his face. She was impatient and her foot tapped on the floor; she wanted to ask him so many questions. She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. She took in the crook in his nose, the way his eyelids fluttered like his eyes were moving rapidly underneath, and then there was the drool. Annabeth realized that there was a strand of his black hair was hovering over his fluttering eyelids. She reached forward and swept it away from his eyes.

She blushed a little but then contained herself.

Annabeth then saw she had to help feed him. She took some nectar and fed it to him with a spoon. It slid down his lips with the drool. She smirked but then his eyes opened. She gasped a little and was about to bombard him with questions, but then stopped herself. She looked over her shoulder and found that everyone was too busy with other campers.

Annabeth turned back to Percy.

"What will happen at the summer solstice?" she asked him, barely above a whisper.

Percy's mind was churning and he was confused. It didn't help that he had a headache. "What?"

Annabeth felt as if eyes were staring at her back. She looked over her shoulder again. "What's going on? What was stolen? We only have a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry…" he mumbled, "I don't…"

There was a knock on the door, and Annabeth panicked and shoved a spoonful of the nectar in his mouth. He drifted back off to sleep.

"How is he, Annabeth?" Chiron asked.

"Oh, good," then she mumbled, "but he drools a lot."

Chiron chuckled. "Has he woken up yet?"

"Nope," Annabeth lied.

"Hm. You should go back to your cabin. It's getting late and you're missing your activities."

"It's fine, Chiron. I don't mind watching him." Annabeth lied again. For a first impression, she was definitely _not_ too fond of this Percy Jackson. But, on the other hand, she needed some answers. He seemed like the source of them seeing how he was a part of these books.

Chiron eyed her.

Annabeth looked up at him skeptically.

His gaze cut to Percy and then stared at Annabeth again.

She seemed to realize what he thought he was observing. She was a little irritated that he would automatically think that, but it seemed as if she had no other choice but to leave. Annabeth placed the bowl and spoon of nectar on the dresser next to Percy's bed and stood.

"Maybe you're right. I should get back to my activities." Annabeth wished she hadn't said that. For once, she didn't want to go to Greek Mythology class. This time, she had her mind focused on one thing: those books.

She knew she had to do something to fool him. She felt guilty doing it, but what else could she do?

Annabeth began to walk out the door and was about to double over in false pain, but then Chiron stopped her.

"Oh, what were you going to tell me last night?"

She turned around. "What do you mean?"

"Last night, before we found Percy, you said you had something to tell me. What was it?"

Annabeth stared at him and she looked down at Percy. Something sparked, and she knew there was something important going on that only _she_ had to know. She couldn't even tell Chiron about this. It was going to be hard, but she made her decision right then and there.

"Oh…um, I was going to tell you how….I was feeling better!" She shrugged and a smile bloomed on her face. "Yep, and I just thought it was really, really important for you to know."

Chiron studied her and she could tell he didn't believe her. Nevertheless, he said, "Well good, then,"

Annabeth nodded and made her way out the door.

"And Annabeth?" Chiron called.

She stopped by the doorway and looked at him over her shoulder.

"Don't worry; I'll collect Argus to be in here. Percy will be okay,"

Right then, there was that familiar stab in her stomach. She doubled over and slammed into the doorframe to hold on so she didn't collapse to the floor. It hurt so bad and worse. She bit her lip to stop herself from screaming. Why was this happening to her? Especially at the mention of Percy's name.

"Are you okay?"

Annabeth tried to straighten up. "Never better," she tried to manage but Chiron couldn't be fooled that easily.

"Maybe you should also be in the infirmary."

"No!" Annabeth exclaimed. At the look of Chiron's shocked face, she calmed herself and apologized. "Um, no thank you. I kinda just want to lie down in my cabin like last time."

"Okay, then. I'll give you a ride." They walked out of the infirmary and she got on Chiron's back and he escorted her to her cabin, letting her have the day off.

She was relieved for that. And right when she was going to continue with The Lightning Thief, her stomach said differently. She was forced to lie in her bed to ease off the pain and soon, she drifted to sleep.

She had that same dream again. Where she was in that apartment with those people fighting in the background. And she was hurrying to get the letter written. But this time, she saw a new thing. It was a book—the book. _The Lightning Thief._

"Annabeth!" A voice cried.

She struggled to turn around and look at who is was, but then there was a giant flash.

"Annabeth!" it echoed and it sounded desperate and a little familiar.

"Annabeth!" It started to fade away.

"_Annabeth_!" it was so loud this time that it made her jolt up with a start. Her breathing was heavy and she was in the same position: sweating with the sheets thrown around her.

Grover was standing beside her bed, staring at her with worry. "You were having a nightmare."

"Tell me about it," she mumbled.

"Are you okay? Do you need to talk about it?"

_I wish someone would tell me about it_, she thought. _And tell me what the heck was going on._

"No, I'm fine," she answered.

Grover shifted his hooves uncomfortably. "Okay, then."

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Chiron wanted me to come check on you. I guess it was a good thing he did."

"Well I'm fine now."

Grover looked a little hurt, but he didn't say anything about it. "So there's this new camper, Percy. You wanna come meet him?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Annabeth asked as she swung her legs over the side of the bed.

"He's got a very strong and powerful scent. He might be your chance for a quest."

"Yeah, well he's my chance for a lot of things," Annabeth mumbled under her breath since she knew Percy was from the books.

"And Chiron mentioned you fancied him." Grover wiggled his eyebrows.

Annabeth groaned. "I do not '_fancy'_ him!"

"He said you were giving him _the look_."

"I wasn't. I barely even know him."

"Okay, whatever you say."

"I'm going to change. Do you mind?" She asked him.

Grover nodded and walked out of the room for her to change. When Annabeth was done, she was in a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

She looked at the books before she left—that was starting to become a habit. She guessed it was in case if they were real or if they were just the Mist playing tricks on her. Annabeth blinked and they were still there.

She'll have to read them another time.

* * *

Annabeth stood with Chiron and Mr. D as they played pinochle. It was a while until she heard Grover's voice and then her name. She looked over and found Grover pointing to them with Percy standing next to them.

Percy was slightly in front of Grover, so he darted his eyes between Percy and Annabeth, trying to tell her, Hey_! This is the guy you fancy!_

She glared at Grover and then caught Percy's look. He was staring at her, mystified, like he was taking her all in. Annabeth looked away.

"Ah, good, Percy," Chiron said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

Percy sat down at a chair Chiron offered and Mr. D began sarcastically introducing him to the camp. Annabeth took this time to analyze him even more. He didn't seem to recognize her like he had been the one to plant the books in her cabin. She knew that was ridiculous because he'd never been here before. So what the heck was going on?

"Annabeth?" Chiron called.

Her gaze snapped back to him and she stood next to him. He introduced her to him and explained that she nursed him back to health.

"Annabeth, dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

"Sure, Chiron," she said.

She walked up to Percy and he was staring at her that same way again. Annabeth glanced down at the minotaur horn in his hands and then her eyes went back up to his sea green ones.

Annabeth eyed him and he looked like he was expecting her to break out into a smile.

Instead, she said the one thing on her mind: "You drool when you sleep."

With that, Annabeth jogged away, jumping off the steps, and sprinted to cabin eleven for more reasons other than checking on his bunk.

* * *

"So the new guy's name is Percy Jackson?" Luke asked.

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. He had a minotaur horn in his hand."

"Hm," Luke shrugged with a twinkle in his eye. "Fights well."

"Whatever," Annabeth rolled her eyes.

There was some loud shouts coming from further into the cabin and two kids were having a fight. One was yelling, "You stole it! I know you did!"

"I swear, I didn't take anything!" The other yelled.

"You're such a liar!"

"Aw, man," Luke groaned and he looked at Annabeth. "I've gotta take care of this."

Her heart weighed down a little, but then she nodded.

"Oh, and hey," he stopped her from leaving. "Cut that Percy kid some slack. He's just finding out he's a half-blood."

Annabeth didn't say anything except walk out of the cabin. She went to her own and took this time to read some more of _The Lightning Thief._

* * *

She almost screamed when she read it. Everything that had just been said in person, was exactly how it was written in the book.

She inhaled slowly, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening. She was beginning to understand just a little of what was happening. But she couldn't believe it. It was crazy; insane.

Someone had sent her these books. And this person must've been from the future or how else could they have known exactly what had been said.

Then Annabeth realized something. That was absolutely crazy. There was no way that that could happen.

But something in the back of her head stopped her and she just knew that she had to keep reading. She got to page 83 and then realized that this was where she came back into the story line.

This confused her a little, because she was about to keep reading, but then realized that they really were waiting for her back at cabin eleven.

She took the book with her, covering it in a fake book jacket covered with Ancient Greek so he couldn't read that it was probably about him. Annabeth was going to confront him. He had something to do with this and she felt as if he was trying to pull a joke on her.

Annabeth ran out of her cabin and raced to cabin eleven. She saw them just then passing Clarisse as she was giving Percy the _I'll-beat-you-up-later_ stare.

She didn't continue reading, though. She watched him as he moved. _The little snake_, she thought. He was totally in on this whole book deal.

Finally, they approached her and she stared at Percy with a glare. She could see that he tried to read what the cover of the book looked like, but thanks to the fake book jacket that she had taken off of another book, he couldn't read the ancient Greek.

_Good_, she thought.

He then stared at her, and not at what she was doing.

"Annabeth," Chiron said, "I have masters' archery class at noon. Would you like to take Percy from here?"

"Yes, sir," she said, still glaring at Percy.

"Cabin eleven," Chiron murmured to him and he gestured to the cabin behind Annabeth. "Make yourself at home."

Chiron clopped away and Percy looked up at Hermes' cabin with glowing eyes. He was taking it all in, looking at how used it was and how many campers there were and—

Annabeth swatted his arm with the Ancient Greek book.

Percy exclaimed, "Ow, what was that for?!" and he stared at her like she had gone insane.

"Do you think this is some kind of _joke_?!" she screamed and at the emphasized word, she swatted at him again.

Percy tried to dodge it but it ended up hitting his chest. Annabeth took that as a better target and kept whacking him in the chest.

"Will you stop that?! Why are you—"

"How are you doing this?!" She asked, but had lowered her voice to barely above a fierce hiss.

"Doing what?!" Percy asked, but he didn't lower his voice.

"Lower your voice!" Annabeth said in a whisper and whacked him in the chest again.

"Why should I?" He countered.

"Because no one else can hear about this,"

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"_The Lightning Thief_? Please, it's so obvious that it's you."

Percy gave her a look. "What? I'm no thief! Jeez, this camp is crazy! I should just leave right now." He began to walk away.

_Oops_, Annabeth thought. _Went a little too far._

"No!" she exclaimed and caught his arm. "You can't leave!"

"Why do you care? You already hate me and are accusing me of being a thief,"

"I don't hate you." Annabeth snapped. "I just…don't know who you are and why you're here."

Percy narrowed his eyes at her. "Well, I'm Percy Jackson, my mom has been killed, and I find that my best friend and Latin teachers are really part some kind of barnyard animal." He gave her an irritated look. "I think that sums it up. No, wait a minute. It also turns out my dad is a god and supposedly, I've never seen him before in my life. Oh, and somehow I killed the minotaur that killed my mom. So sorry if my troubles bother you, it's not every day that I lose my mom because of some kind of bull man wearing fruit of the looms underwear."

Annabeth paused. "What did you say?"

"Do you really want me to repeat what I just said?"

"No, the last part."

"It's not every day that I lose my mom because of a bull."

"No, the very beginning, you idiot!" She whacked him upside the head with the book again.

"Hey!" He rubbed his head. "You hit me with the spine,"

"What did you say the bull was wearing?" She said, her voice getting louder because she was becoming impatient.

"I said he was wearing fruit of the looms underwear." Percy said. "You don't see that every day," he mumbled, "maybe I really am going crazy…"

"Or maybe _I_ am," Annabeth's gaze drifted to the ground. She remembered the beginning of the book that Percy had killed the minotaur that was wearing fruit of the loom underwear.

Maybe the books and the letter did come from someone in the future. And they were in trouble and they needed Annabeth to help them. Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't going crazy and that she finally just needed to read the books. She had to stick with what _really_ happened.

"Okay," she said in a soft voice. "I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't mean to make you mad or anything. I'm just confused with what's going on."

"Oh, you're confused? How do you think I feel? I've just been told that the Greek gods are real, and my dad's one of them."

Annabeth nodded solemnly. "Yeah, and he might claim you some day."

"Claim me?"

Annabeth explained.

"Before we move on with the rest of the tour, I need to put my book up. Just wait out here, okay?"

Percy nodded and stood where he was and watched Annabeth sprint to her cabin.

He scoffed. "First day and I've already met a madwoman."

* * *

When Annabeth got in her cabin, she quickly scanned through the next couple pages of the book. At least until the tour was over. She groaned when she saw that he would embarrass himself in front of the entire Hermes' cabin—and right in front of Luke, too. The rest was just explaining more about monsters and hid godly parent and stuff. That would be easy; she did that with all the new campers. And besides, so far, everything seemed to be going as well as it did however years ago, except when she ruined it all up herself.

If it was like that, then why did this person need their help? Why would they need her to do know she was doing the right thing when time was already going exactly as planned? It didn't make much sense, but Annabeth decided that she would keep reading nevertheless.

It was just in case something bad really did happen—something that wasn't supposed to happen. That, and she was interested to see what would happen next.

And then she found that they would run into Clarisse and cause a giant bathroom experience.

"Jeez," Annabeth said below a whisper, "this kid just keeps on getting into trouble." She scoffed. "I would never want him on my capture the flag team."

* * *

It wasn't hard for Annabeth to pretend that she was surprised Percy could blow up toilets like that. It was even more shocking in person. And more disgusting with the mucky water spraying at her.

"How did you…"

"I don't know." Percy answered. Annabeth was soaking—as she already knew she would be—but Percy was completely dry. She already knew that too.

They walked outside and found Clarisse and her friends all laying in the mud.

She gave him a dirty look. "You are dead, new boy. You are totally dead."

Annabeth had to admit, the whole bathroom incident was pretty hilarious in person as well. She couldn't believe it when she read it, but when she saw it, oh, man, was it hard for her to keep in her laughter.

"You want to gargle with toilet water again, Clarisse? Close your mouth." Percy said.

Annabeth also had to admit, she was starting to like Percy's sarcastic and snappy side. Especially when it was toward Clarisse and especially in that moment.

When Clarisse was gone, Annabeth knew she had to look over and stare at Percy.

"What?" he asked, but it was more harsh. "What are you thinking?"

Annabeth found this next line ironic and she had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

"I'm thinking," she said, "I want you on my capture the flag team."

Annabeth knew that part was going to be interesting.

* * *

**Any exact line from the book, is not mine because I DO NOT OWN PJO. It's Rick's. He came up with that stuff, and we all thank him for it:) I hope you liked; please review!**


	4. New Friends and New Foes

**Hey, guys I know it's been kind of a while since I've updated, but here I am again. I like to write when I'm dealing with crap in my life, so that's also a reason why.**

**I DO NOT OWN ACTUALY QUOTES FROM THE BOOK. THEY WERE BORN FROM RICK RIORDAN'S BRAIN.**

**There's the disclaimer; enjoy reading.**

* * *

The rest of Annabeth's conversation with Percy was a little surprising for her. She hadn't read this part of the book yet, and she was a little wary of each sentence she took. This was the hard part of not reading the book. She didn't know if every word or syllable or breath she took was correct. And it scared her. She wanted to and had to save herself and all of her friends—because one of them was in grave danger.

But it was easy and each answer sort of just came to her. For some reason, she could swear it felt nostalgic and that she'd done this before. She guessed that was how she knew that this was real and that she was saying the right thing.

Annabeth was just explaining about the camp and her dad. And about her life; and then they started to talk a little bit about the situation at hand.

This was what made her feel like she was on thin ice. She already knew practically everything that was happening—it was Zeus's bolt that somebody stole. She had to play along as best as she could and try not to make it obvious at the same time.

She also tried to hurry it along because she desperately had to go read more of the book again. It almost ate her insides, she was so impatient.

Annabeth thanked every single god—even the minor ones—when she smelled the barbecue smoke and heard Percy's stomach growl.

"You should go," Annabeth said. "I'll catch you later,"

Percy nodded and then walked away.

Annabeth stood there for a couple seconds and then peered behind her shoulder and once she found him gone and lost interest of where she was, she sprinted back to her cabin. She darted under swinging weapons and jumped around people and skipped a step as she went into her cabin.

She closed the door behind her and sat at her desk, opening the book and reading the part she just acted out. When she finished it, she breathed out a sigh and leaned against her chair. "Oh, thank gods,"

Annabeth brought her book to dinner again. When she scraped off her food into the fire, she prayed to every single god to guide her through this. She prayed this would all turn out fine. She wasn't sure if anyone heard her or not.

She read during dinner and this time, no one asked and no one really cared. They were talking about Percy and were laughing about how he threw Clarisse into the toilets.

Annabeth was glad that she got to the capture the flag part. She had to know what was going to happen. When she read that he disarmed Luke, she was dazzled by him. She also had to say, for a scrawny new kid, Percy was pretty funny.

She had to admit, it was pretty weird reading about herself and what she was going to do. She could imagine herself and it was like a memory. It kind of scared her, and she almost felt like a patient who had lost their memory from a car accident and was trying to regain it.

Annabeth smiled when she saw that she would set Percy up. It made her feel smart.

But then her smile faltered when she read who Percy's father was. Her mind reeled and she blinked at the page. She gasped a little and looked at the table.

"Hey, you okay, Annabeth?" One of her siblings sitting next to her asked.

She didn't answer.

"You're reading that book again? What is it?"

"Nothing," she pulled it away from them and her eyes stared back over at Percy who sat all squished at the Hermes's table.

She knew there was going to be way more to him than meets the eye.

* * *

Annabeth slipped on her Yankees cap right when the conch horn blew. She then dodged all the screaming and running campers and dashed her way to the creek where she had stationed Percy.

She appeared through the brush right as Clarisse had stabbed him with her stupid spear.

Annabeth just watched as she saw the book come to life and it was amazing.

But her ADHD was starting to get the best of her and her hands twitched to grab her dagger and help him in the fight. Ever since she had found out that he was the son of Poseidon, all she wanted to do was jump in and help him. Though, she's pretty sure that's not how she had felt the first time she had done this.

A splash brought her out of her thoughts. She snapped her gaze back up to find that Percy had fallen in the  
creek with burns and bruises and chalk pale.

She had to suppress her laughter and cheering when Percy had taken care of all of them after the water had given him strength.

The conch horn blew, signaling the end of the game.

"Not bad, hero," Annabeth said as she stood next to him.

He whirled around, and she could swear he was looking right at her, but she knew he wasn't because she had her Yankees cap on. His eyes were unfocused.

"Where the heck did you learn to fight like that?" She asked and she slipped off her Yankees hat and revealed herself. Percy's eyes focused on her, like he was really staring at her and not through her.

Annabeth could see his jaw clench. "You set me up. You put me here because you knew Clarisse would come after me, while you sent Luke around the flank. You had it all figured out." He said and Annabeth could also see his green eyes glowing.

She was about to say her line, the one that she smiled at when she read it at first, but then Percy cut her off. "What is wrong with you? Why do you hate me so much? First, you hit me because of some stupid book"—when he said that, it stung Annabeth—"and now you really do want to get me killed. Seriously, what did I do to you?"

She had kept glancing down at his cut that looked as if it were getting worse, but then it suddenly began to close up. Annabeth had to play it cool and get the conversation back on track. She shrugged and gave him a smug look. "I told you. Athena always, always has a plan."

Percy huffed. "A plan to get me pulverized."

This relieved her because he was supposed to say _that_. "I came as fast as I could. I was about to jump in, but…" She shrugged as she didn't have to think twice about her words. Even though she already knew them, they simply rolled off her tongue. "You didn't need help."

Annabeth looked down at his arm, where there was a cut but she found it was gone. It was like he hadn't just been in a fight with a couple of Ares' devil spawns.

"How did you do that?"

"Sword cut," he said as if she were stupid. "What do you think?"

_Boy, if only I could smack you upside the head with that book again_, she thought angrily.

"No." She snapped at him, but reminded herself to keep calm. "It was a sword cut. Look at it."

Percy looked down at his arm and found that she was correct. He watched the scar completely disappear.

"I-I don't get it." He said.

"Step out of the water, Percy,"

"What—"

"Just do it."

He came out of the creek, stepping closer to her, and he immediately almost fell over. Annabeth stepped forward and caught him to steady him.

She cursed. "This is _not_ good. I didn't want…I assumed it would be Zeus..."

Annabeth waited for the low growl, but instead, it turned into a rough snarl, and almost immediately the hell hound jumped out of the forest. She hadn't been prepared for that because she didn't hear the howl, and nearly jumped out of her skin.

She immediately took out her sword and she yelled, "Percy, run!"

But even as she said that, it was right on him and everything that she had read was going to happen, happened seconds earlier. Earlier to where she didn't have her act together and her mind was struggling to keep up. Time was going too fast for her to handle.

Percy stumbled back with the hell hound on his chest, ripping at him and snarling. It looked much fiercer than the book had described. She wondered if it was just because the author may have written it wrong, but decided that that probably wouldn't be right. Imagine a hell hound—already frightening to look at—but has rabies.

Annabeth thought she was imagining the voice as well. It sounded like someone who had just woken up and it was a woman's voice.

_Not now, my dear pet_, she said. _They will die soon—their blood spattered on the stones._

No one else seemed affected by these words, so that told Annabeth that she was the only one who had heard it.

Chiron didn't need to give orders. Everyone already brought out their bows and arrows and flew dozens of them at the monster's neck. It fell at his feet.

Percy looked white as chalk. His eyes were wide and Annabeth suddenly had the urge to calm him down.

But she had to calm herself down before she could help him. She finally understood how terrifying this would be for her. The letter said everyone would be in grave danger, but she didn't think it'd happen this early.

Then Percy looked at her. "_You_." He accused in a shaky voice. "You really hate me that much? You put that…that thing on me?"

The campers were too shaken up to hear him. She glanced at the crowd and found only Luke staring at her.

Her cheeks warmed and she said barely above a whisper, "I didn't do that! I wouldn't hurt you, Percy." Then in a normal voice, she said, "_Di immortales!_ That was a hell hound from the Fields of Punishment. They don't…they're not supposed to…"

Percy still glared at her.

"Someone summoned it," Chiron said. "Someone from inside the camp."

Annabeth wished she could tell Percy that it wasn't her, but she knew she couldn't. Not then.

Clarisse yelled, "It's all Percy's fault! He summoned it!"

He didn't even look offended when she said that. Percy still stared at Annabeth, betrayed.

"Be quiet, child," Chiron told her.

Annabeth ran over to Percy and she said below her breath to where only he could hear, "I swear it wasn't me, Percy," she looked up at him, her eyes stern.

His face softened when he saw how terrified she looked. Her face was ashen and a sliver of belief crawled into him.

"I wouldn't do that to you. I promise."

Percy was about to respond, but Annabeth cut him off. "You're wounded. Quick, Percy, get in the water."

"I'm okay." But there was a small part of him that wouldn't let her help him.

"No, you're not," she put more urgency in his voice and made him step back into the creek before she told Chiron to watch. For some reason, she wanted to, more than ever, help him. She couldn't let him get hurt without feeling guilty.

Immediately, the color filled up his face again. And the cuts on his chest began to heal and majority of the campers gasped.

"Look, I-I don't know why," he was trying to apologize. Annabeth just wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault; he couldn't control it, but she resisted. "I'm sorry…"

And then something shimmered above his head. It was a green light that was starting to focus and every camper's eyes drifted up there.

"Percy," Annabeth said, pointing. "Um…"

She watched in amazement as it glowed brighter and greener and transformed into a shape.

He looked up just as it started to fade, but it still seemed to leave a mark burning in the air. It was a trident.

"Your father," she murmured without even thinking about it. "This is _really_ not good." She wasn't just talking about who his dad was—which she already knew about.

"It is determined," Chiron announced.

Campers started kneeling even though some looked like they wanted to force Percy to kneel.

"My father?" Percy asked and Annabeth noticed his eyes were still wide and the iris' color the same as the green light.

"Poseidon," Chiron said. "Earthshaker, Stormbringer, Father of Horses. Hail, Perseus Jackson, son of the Sea God."

Annabeth looked over at the centaur and could swear that he looked a little smug, as if he had been waiting to say the dramatic sentence.

* * *

Annabeth walked alongside Percy as they headed out of the woods.

"Listen, you've got to believe that it wasn't me. I had no idea about that hell hound," She realized that she was kind of lying about that. She did know about it, but she just didn't know it would happen the way it did.

Annabeth kept babbling and she was walking fast to catch up with him, "It can only be summoned a special way and even I don't really know how to do that. I promise, I wouldn't ever do that to you—you have no idea how much I—"

"Annabeth," he stopped and turned to face her. Percy stopped her from rambling any further. "I believe you. Calm down."

"Y-You do?"

"Of course. You're my friend,"

"I-I am?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it."

"How have you decided that I'm your friend so quickly even though you thought I was trying to kill you?"

"Because you helped me." He said, "When everyone else was too surprised to come close to me. And, if it weren't for you and your Athena plans, I probably wouldn't know who my dad is right now."

"So…you're not mad about me putting you up with Clarisse?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I got to see the look on her face when I broke her spear." Percy began snickering.

Annabeth began to smile a little.

"So, thanks, Annabeth,"

She nodded, but was still dazed as to what just happened.

* * *

That night, after Chiron had moved Percy to Cabin three, Annabeth lay on her bed. She propped her head up with her arms behind her neck and she stared at the books on her desk.

She got up and went over to it, bringing it out and began reading the next chapter.

So she wasn't supposed to talk to him after finding out about his dad. For once, she didn't exactly care. Annabeth had grown closer to Percy that way, and she figured that that helped instead of made matters worse.

Annabeth flipped back a couple pages, to when the hell hound first appeared, and she re-read the lines. There wasn't anything about the woman's voice. Of course, it was all in Percy's point-of-view.

She stopped.

How did she not notice this earlier?

It was in Percy's point-of-view.

_He_ wrote these books.

"This means…" she trailed off.

_It means he was also the one who sent them to me, _she thought.

"Right?" She got up and scrambled to her desk and re-read the letter. It looked more like a woman's handwriting, though.

And that woman's voice said that they would soon die, so she knew that there was _that_ woman that wasn't going to help them.

Thoughts were clouding up her mind and she placed a bookmark in the pages. She curled up into her bed, and fell right asleep.

That night, she dreamed that same dream. She was hurrying to put something in the package and she was writing something out.

"_Annabeth!_" the voice cried out again. It was so familiar, but she couldn't get a grasp on who was yelling at her.

She wished she knew. Annabeth turned to see, but the blinding light was there again she couldn't see.

Annabeth woke up to the stab of pain in her stomach. She was hyperventilating and the sheets had actually fallen off the mattress. She'd been having that dream every night since she got the books.

Once she calmed herself down, she stood and sat at her desk. She was sweating; her clothes plastered to her and her hair feeling greasy and dirty. She pulled it off her neck and into a ponytail.

Annabeth rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. The dream was turning into a nightmare now.

She took a deep breath and stared down at her notes for Greek Mythology. It was right next to the letter that came with the books.

She blinked and stared at them both. Something tickled her heart and made it flutter but her stomach dropped.

Annabeth noticed that her writing looked almost exactly like the writing in the letter.

She stopped and put down her hands away from her temples. She hid the letter and tore off a free sheet of paper and began to write down the words, but made it sloppier.

Then she compared the two.

Annabeth kept staring as the puzzle pieces began to slowly form together. Some were stuck though, and this only seemed to confuse her a little more.

_Did _I _write the letter?_

Annabeth pressed her lips together and threw away the fake letter. She continued reading _The Lightning Thief_, starting to feel the weight of everyone's lives on her shoulders.

* * *

A couple days later, Annabeth woke up from a different dream than usual. Well, it was different at first.

She was standing on the beach, the wind whipping at her clothes and tearing at her hair. There was a furious storm up above her and she could barely see ahead of her, it was so dark.

But she saw a figure. It was about as tall as her and when the lightning flashed, she could make out their black hair and scrawny body. He was wearing an orange shirt and Annabeth automatically knew it was Percy.

She was about to run toward him, yelling at him that the weather was too bad to be out here, but she couldn't move and she couldn't talk.

Neither could he. He just stood there and Annabeth wondered what he was doing.

That was when she saw the two men a hundred or so yards away. Percy was watching them as they fought.

One was wearing blue robes, and the other green. The blue one was yelling for the other to give something back.

The fight seemed to make the storm and the waves thrash around even more.

Annabeth heard a voice tugging at her brain and it was yelling for them to stop fighting. It was Percy's voice.

The ground shook and there was an evil laugh. It was dark and menacing and made a shiver crawl up her spine.

_Come down, little hero_, it said. _Come down!_

Then there was a split in the sand, and the two fell into the darkness together.

* * *

Annabeth heard somebody scream as she jolted up. She was pretty sure it was herself.

The door slammed open and it was Malcolm. She knew this because the lightning split across the sky in the distance and lit up his face.

"Are you okay?" he asked urgently.

"Nightmare," she mumbled.

He nodded, knowing what she meant because dreams were never called dreams anymore for demigods. They were _always_ nightmares.

Malcolm told her good luck and then walked away, closing the door again.

Annabeth let out a deep breath. She got out of bed and her ankles started to wobble and she fell into her chair at her desk. Annabeth continued reading _The Lightning Thief_ and found that she and Percy had the same dream, but he didn't notice her.

And Grover showed up at his door. She looked out her window and found that that was happening right this minute. Annabeth freaked out and hurried to keep reading the rest because she was behind.

It was hard for her to read fast because of her dyslexia and ADHD, but she managed to get by. She hoped she was ahead of them. They had such a long conversation about Zeus's bolt being stolen. She knew that much so she was able to skip some things.

Annabeth couldn't believe that they thought Percy had been the one to steal the lightning bolt. He couldn't have; he just arrived and barely knew how to pick up a sword!

Her breath caught in her throat when she saw that he was going to the Oracle. Nobody had been to the Oracle since Luke.

She couldn't help but laugh at his nervousness to the mummy.

But then all jokes left when she read his prophecy. It didn't feel right to be sneaking in on his destiny, but she had no choice.

It felt even more confusing toward her. A god who has turned? One of his friends will betray him?

Annabeth had a terrified feeling in her stomach. She hoped she wasn't going to be the one who will betray him. But then she had another feeling, like she knew that she would never, ever want to hurt Percy. She wanted to help him. At this point, she knew she _had_ to.

Her ADHD got the best of her in that moment because she wondered if maybe she could go to the Oracle. Maybe it could give her a little insight on what the heck was going on.

But there wasn't time and suddenly something clicked and told her to finish up reading. So she did—she scanned through the pages because most of this, she already knew about. She had that feeling of nostalgia creeping up on her again.

She yelped when it said she came back into view. She quickly read the rest and then slammed it down on the desk, grabbed her Yankees cap, and sprinted out to the Big House invisibly. She got there just in time as Percy spoke in sarcasm.

Annabeth was both frightened and excited to start the quest. But she knew a deep dark secret and they had two people on their bad sides. And these people were probably not normal and probably weren't going to take any of this lightly. The evidence already showed with the hell hound.

But Annabeth was glad for one thing for sure: she and Percy were connected, even though they were completely opposite as Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain.

* * *

**It's starting to get pretty serious now and Annabeth's figuring it out...Please review because they make me happy. :)**


	5. Let the Quest Begin

They had little to pack. Annabeth made sure she brought _The Lightning Thief_ and _The Sea of Monsters_—just in case she finished the first one. She put them on the bottom of her pack because she had to make sure they wouldn't get lost and would be secure.

On top, she put an extra set of clothes, toiletries, a pouch full of drachma, a canteen of nectar, a Ziploc baggie of ambrosia, and then her Yankees cap. Annabeth wanted to bring more, because she knew how much trouble they would probably get in, but she knew she couldn't. She knew because she read some of the tenth chapter.

"I Ruin a Perfectly Good Bus"—what more could tell her about the trouble they were going to get in?

But she couldn't bring any other weapon besides her dagger. It made her nervous, but she took a deep breath as she stared at herself in the mirror. She adjusted her shirt over her dagger to hide it. Her chest was pulled tight and she stared at her reflection.

Annabeth had dark rings under her dull gray eyes. Her skin was pale and she looked like she hadn't eaten in a while.

She wouldn't sleep. She couldn't—those nightmares about that apartment kept waking her up with the cold feeling that she had lost everything. She didn't eat as much because she had been too busy reading during dinner. But during the day, she worked out as much and as hard as she could to get her mind off things. Doing activities like that proved to her that it helped her think more.

She thought about all the evidence with these books. The fact they were in Percy's point-of-view, that her handwriting looked like the one in the letter, which came to _her_ specifically. The person in this future knew exactly where she lived.

Annabeth thought of these when she looked at herself in the mirror. She held all of her emotions in, but they were bursting at the seam. She was going to go in this alone—she was the only one who knew exactly what was going to happen and if something different happened that got them all killed, it was all her fault.

She leaned forward and a small sob came from her lips. She rested her elbows on the sink and her hands ran up her temples and into her hair that was pulled back in a loose ponytail.

Annabeth breathed heavily and her stomach was beginning to hurt. It did that a lot of times before she slept about being at that desk in the apartment. She wasn't going to sleep, though; she had a quest to go on.

She looked back up into the mirror, staring into her own gray eyes.

"Why is this happening?" she asked in a whisper.

Annabeth screwed her eyes shut and then took in a deep breath—it was shaky.

"You can do this Annabeth," she told herself. "Just breathe and stick to the books." She realized how much she sounded like the letter.

She righted herself and she looked like herself again. Confident and holding it all in. The only difference was that this time, she really did look like something was wrong.

Annabeth shouldered her pack and finally realized that she was going on her first quest. Well, more like her second except she was going away from camp, not _to_ it. She would make the best of this.

With one last blink at the mirror, she walked out of the bathroom.

* * *

Annabeth met up with Percy and Grover by Half-Blood Hill, next to Thalia's tree. When being near the tree, it put a cold feeling on the back of her neck like someone's electrifying eyes were watching her every move. She peered over her shoulder and looked right at the trunk of it and she shivered. But she turned back around.

Percy was staring at her. "You okay?" he asked.

"Fine," she answered nonchalantly. "Why?"

"You look pretty shaken up about something." He stared at her skeptically.

Before Annabeth could answer, Chiron introduced them to Argus, who Annabeth already knew. He was the man with many eyes.

Suddenly, Luke came up to them and Annabeth tried her best not to blush. Annabeth had read this part of the book already so she knew about the flying sneakers before he showed them to Percy and Grover.

She and Luke hugged after he said his goodbyes to the others. His embrace made her feel safe and comfortable, but it also made her feel a little guilty. She wasn't sure why. It just did, like liking him that way was wrong.

When he was gone, Percy turned to Annabeth.

"You're hyperventilating."

When Annabeth first read this, she got flustered and mad. Was it really that obvious that she had liked Luke?

"Am not."

"You let him capture the flag instead of you, didn't you?"

There was a gnawing feeling in her stomach and her eyes widened. _Was I supposed to do that_, she thought. She didn't know that she had to. But she stuck to her line in the book: "Oh…why do I want to go anywhere with you, Percy?"

But she knew _exactly_ why.

Annabeth stomped down the other side of the hill and Argus followed her as they both went to the white SUV waiting for them on the road. Grover crash-landed in it as well.

* * *

During the car ride, Annabeth got out her book again. Percy or Grover didn't even pay attention to it. Grover was too busy being nervous, which led to eating the seat cushions. And Percy stared out the window. She knew he wouldn't be any interested with the book.

But this part felt a little weird to her. As she read what he said, Percy literally said it.

"So far so good," he told Annabeth. "Ten miles and not a single monster."

Annabeth jumped in her seat. She had read that just as he said it. She tried not to look startled, and more irritated at him as she glanced at the book.

"It's bad luck to talk that way, seaweed brain."

"Remind me again—why do you hate me so much?"

"I thought we covered that earlier." She said without meaning to; without looking at the book. So she stammered and then looked at the page. "I don't hate you."

Percy waited for a second, and he looked as if he were confused and didn't know what to say. She had messed things up earlier about mentioning the book to him. She regretted doing that now.

But then he scoffed. "Could've fooled me."

Annabeth let out a silent sigh of relief.

"Look…we're just not supposed to get along, okay? Our parents are rivals." She glanced back down at the book to see if she was correct.

"Why?"

He looked away from her and out the window again, distracted by all the sights. She had to bite back a laugh as it was ironic that she read to him her quote from the book that explained about their parents.

Finally he looked at the seat ahead of him when he was done. Then he glanced sideways at her. "They must really like olives."

"Oh, forget it."

"Now, if she'd invented pizza—_that_ I could understand."

"I said, forget it!"

But Annabeth had to bite back another laugh because if this person was from the future, and that Percy was still this same way, then some things never change.

She flipped the page and buried back into the book and watched from behind it how Argus winked at Percy.

Her cheeks grew warm.

* * *

Annabeth was able to read the bus incident. She felt the terror go through her when she read that The Furies had gone after them. She was also surprised that they actually made it out alive.

Or, they _did_. Hopefully, they can do it again.

She tried to enjoy playing Hacky Sack with them and the apple, and she still held up the record of bouncing it off of her body the best. But still, she was nervous for the bus to come.

They sat in the back, like Annabeth had expected.

Annabeth only had her cap with her, and it was an understatement when she was "nervously slapping it against her thigh". She was on the edge of her seat.

Finally, they appeared. Just like the hell hound, they looked scarier than the book described.

But when she saw them, that pain shot through her stomach and she clamped her hand down on Percy's knee, and crouched together as the pain spread through her. "Percy."

"What is it?" he leaned forward with her. "Are you okay?"

She pointed ahead and Percy's eyes landed on The Furies—and his favorite teacher, Mrs. Dodds.

Percy scrunched back in his seat, pulling Annabeth down with him. But her stomach hurt almost as much as it did the first time. He cursed.

He peeked over the seat to watch them sit down right behind the driver.

"She didn't stay dead long," Percy said in a low whisper to her, although his voice quivered. "I thought you said they could be dispelled for a lifetime."

Annabeth made a small strangling sound from the pain. "I said if you were _lucky_. You're obviously not."

"All three of them," Grover whimpered. "_Di immortales!_"

"It's okay," Annabeth said, taking in deep breaths and clutching her stomach, trying to ease the pain that she hated so much, but was so used to it. "The Furies. The three worst monsters from the Underworld. No problem. No problem." She thought hard, but remembered she knew what to say. "We'll just slip out the windows."

"They don't open," Grover moaned.

"A back exit?" she whimpered as there was another stab of searing pain.

"No." Then Percy finally seemed to realize she was in pain. "Are you okay, Annabeth? You don't look so—"

"I'm fine!" she snapped, not wanting him to get off topic.

"Well, they won't attack us with witnesses around," he asked her, getting back onto the topic like she hoped for. "Will they?"

"Mortals don't have good eyes. Their brains only process what they see—_through the Mist!_" She lurched forward at another pain. There was a ringing noise through her ears.

"You are _not_ okay, Annabeth. What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong! Just a minor stomach ache!" She snapped at him again, but then reminded herself to keep her voice down because she saw one of the old ladies wander their eyes near their direction.

Percy started breathing heavily, along with her, but not because of the pain. Mrs. Dodds had been scary the first time; he didn't exactly want to face her again. His heart was pounding and he scrunched further down, helping Annabeth go down as well so they couldn't be seen.

"They'll see three old ladies killing us, won't they?" he asked in a low voice that went an octave higher due to fear.

"It's hard to say but we can't count on them to help. Maybe there's an emergency exit on the roof…?"

The bus went dark as they went through a tunnel.

Annabeth felt her heart crawl to her throat when Mrs. Dodds got up and announced she had to go use the bathroom, the other two following her.

All three of them froze and went down even more in their seats.

Annabeth suddenly remembered about what she had to do.

"I've got it," she said. "Percy, take my hat."

"What?"

She told the plan that had just sprouted from her mind because she remembered it in the book. He had protested, but she insisted.

He put it on with trembling hands, but just as he turned invisible, Annabeth grabbed his arm. It was gone, but she could still feel it. She could also feel his eyes on her.

"You can do this," she told him. Then she let go, and didn't have any contact with him at all.

Annabeth was sweating and her energy draining because of the pain. The Furies kept coming up the aisle and one turned and sniffed.

Annabeth knew Percy was _right there_.

She fidgeted in her seat and the pain was getting worse.

The old ladies turned into what they really were—a monster. And they came at Annabeth and Grover with their whips.

The Mortals screamed and cowered.

They surrounded Annabeth and Grover. "Where is it? Where?" And they even started to raise their whips right then. They slapped it down and it hit the seat that they were on.

This startled Annabeth. They weren't supposed to hit them already. Grover yelped.

"He's not here!" Annabeth screamed, but her voice was weak due to the pain in her stomach. "He's gone!"

Mrs. Dodds tilted her head at Annabeth. "You're weak—what's wrong, _honey_?!" She growled the emphasized words and slapped out her whip again.

Annabeth shakily brought out her dagger. Grover took out his tin can.

And then they were all thrown to the right as Percy had grabbed the wheel and jerked it to the left. Annabeth exclaimed and got thrown into the aisle, Grover landing next to her. After Percy did a few more of his "great ideas" and after everyone was thrown around all over the bus, it stopped and everyone filed out.

Annabeth tried her best to stab at them with her dagger, but their stupid whips were throwing her off guard. One snagged her arm, and it hurt worse than the stomach pain. She cried out and touched where it burned her—it stung. Tears began to swell in her eyes.

"If I worked this hard once, I'm not going to work harder this time!" She screamed and she stood, pushing aside the pain that was now all over her body, and used all of her training moves and attacked.

Percy took off his cap and got their attention. They started crawling towards him on top of the seats.

"Perseus Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "You have offended the gods. You shall die."

"I liked you better as a math teacher," he told her.

She growled and Annabeth remembered what she and Grover had to do. They eased up from behind the Furies. Annabeth was still shaking and the pain now felt like a hollow place in her stomach.

Percy brought out Riptide and the Furies hesitated.

"Submit now," Mrs. Dodds hissed. "And you will not suffer eternal torment."

"Nice try,"

Before Annabeth could warn him, Mrs. Dodds immediately lashed out her whip. She was acting just like the hell hound had—reacting earlier than they were supposed to.

But Percy, being the demigod he was, reacted just like he was supposed to. He defeated the two Furies next to Mrs. Dodds because Annabeth tried to take her down. She somehow couldn't feel the stabbing pain in her stomach, and she was able to take down the Fury. Grover took her whip.

"Ow!" he yelled. "Hot! Hot!"

Annabeth was supposed to be able to get a hold on Mrs. Dodds, but the Fury was more vicious than the book said. Annabeth was thrown to the ground and Mrs. Dodds lunged at her. Annabeth kicked out her foot and it slammed against her face. She was distracted for a moment as Annabeth landed a few punches and then was able to wrestle her down all over again. Grover was able to tie her up as well.

"Zeus will destroy you!" She promised as she couldn't fly or do anything since she was all wrapped up in her own weapon. "Hades will have your soul!"

Percy cursed at her and Annabeth knew he was right in the book. He really did say, "Eat my pants!"

Thunder shook the bus.

"Get out!" Annabeth yelled. "Now!"

He and Grover sprinted off the bus. Annabeth was about to follow them, but then she remembered about the books. She leapt over Mrs. Dodds thrashing body and sprinted all the way to the back.

"Annabeth! What are you doing?!" Grover yelled.

"Go! I forgot something!" She cried and got her pack. The books were still in it. She ran back and somehow, Mrs. Dodds had made it to her feet and trapped Annabeth in the aisle.

"You will never make it!" she yelled and suddenly, her voice sounded like that woman that Annabeth had heard at capture the flag. "You will both die in Tartarus. The goddess will arise!"

"No! Never! I've done this once, I can do it again! Especially with the help I've got!"

Mrs. Dodds looked skeptical. "What do you mean?"

Annabeth pulled out _The Lightning Thief_. The fake book jacket had slipped off.

"What is that?" Annabeth could see the gears turning in the Fury's head. "You have the book. Where did you get that?!" She hissed and tried to lash out at Annabeth, but was still trapped in her whip.

"From a friend."

"That will not help you! She will still rise and you will still die! The son of the Big Three will die!"

"Not on my watch!" Annabeth said and she slashed her dagger at Mrs. Dodds and she turned into dust.

"_Annabeth!_" She heard Percy cry.

It made her blood turn cold.

He was the voice in her dream. Percy was in her dream.

He suddenly appeared up by the steps. And smoke began to come up through the bus. "Annabeth!" He yelled again and he covered his nose and mouth with his arm so he didn't breathe in the smoke.

Annabeth had read this part. She knew that it was going to blow up. So she sprinted towards him and his sea green eyes widened.

She jumped and just as she pushed him, the bus exploded from the lightning.

Annabeth had curled up right next to Percy's body. They landed on the concrete as she had pushed him out of the bus and they stumbled over the steps just as the bus exploded.

They were both shaking and they both heard ringing in their ears. She felt the pack that her arms were tightly wrapped around.

Grover cursed in Ancient Greek as he crouched next to them. "Are you guys okay?"

Percy began to sit up and Annabeth turned around to look at them. They looked down at her and they both had somewhat irritated looks on their faces.

"You went back in there just for a _book_?" Percy asked.

Annabeth looked down and found that The Lightning Thief was still in her arms, from when she pulled it out to show it to Mrs. Dodds.

She laughed weakly and shrugged. "It's interesting. I couldn't stand to lose it."

"I know you're a daughter of Athena, but gods, you're insane, Wise Girl."

Percy began to stand with Grover's help and they helped Annabeth up. A tourist wearing a Hawaiian t-shirt snapped a picture of them just as Percy turned around to face him. He was still holding Riptide and he hurriedly touched the cap to his sword.

"Run!" Annabeth said. "She's—" she was about to continue her line from the book, but then realized that she had killed Mrs. Dodds already.

_Oops_, she thought. _I wonder how much damage that might cause_.

All of the people that were from the bus stared at them and began calling the police about three kids setting the bus on fire.

Percy pushed his friends the opposite way and they plunged into the woods as the rain poured down, the bus in flames behind them, and nothing but darkness ahead.

* * *

**I realized that if I were going to try to go through almost every chapter of every book, that would take more time than I thought this story would take. So, from now on, I'm going to try and make the chapters are going to be longer - but that also means they'll take longer. **

**I hope you liked this chapter; things are starting to get a little heated up! :3 That, and more Percabeth.**

**ANY AND EVERY QUOTE FROM THE BOOK IS NOT MINE. But, the things added onto it, are mine but the main point that came from the books are RICK'S, NOT MINE. **

**Please review so I know people are liking this story! :) Enjoy the weekend!**


	6. A Cheeseburger With a Side of Snake Hair

**Hey readers! I apologize for the long wait, but I was on vacation and didn't have that much time to write. But now I'm home and here it is!**

**I do not own quotes that came from the book!**

**Enjoy!:)**

* * *

Annabeth agreed with Grover. She didn't want to go into the garden gnome emporium because she read about it before they even thought about going there. She realized that the things that happened were totally different than what should've happened. And that was all her fault.

Percy made sure she knew that. "You couldn't have even gotten _our_ bags too? I thought you were the smart one."

"Will you shut it, Percy?" She snapped. "Mrs. Dodds was in my way, I couldn't have reached for them without her trying to kill me." That was partly a lie, she could've gotten their other packs, but Annabeth's focus had been on the books.

Percy scowled at the ground and kicked a rock.

"Perc, she's right. Three Kindly Ones. All three at once." Grover was shivering.

"We still don't have any money," Percy pointed out.

Annabeth huffed. She was getting a little tired of his attitude. "Well, maybe if you hadn't decided to jump into the fight—" she stopped herself even though Percy cut her off as well. She couldn't really say that, because it was also her fault.

"What did you want me to do? Let you get you killed?" He looked over at her, his face screwed up tight. "I couldn't do that! Because, for a daughter of Athena, you made a pretty ridiculous move to go back in there for some stupid book!"

Annabeth's face burned red. She gritted her teeth and stopped in her tracks. Her heart pounding with hurt; he doesn't know what he's saying, Annabeth told herself. "You don't understand," she waved him off and shook her head. "You don't understand anything!" She yelled. "You didn't need to protect me, Percy. I would've been fine. You didn't have to come back in there for me—I had Mrs. Dodds all under control."

"Sliced up like sandwich bread," Grover put in, "but fine."

"Shut up, goat boy," Annabeth snapped. Her blood was boiled and racing through her veins with anger.

Grover brayed mournfully. "Tins cans…a perfectly good bag of tin cans."

As they kept walking, Annabeth thought about it. She had to admit, that even though it was a stupid for Percy to come back for her, she was glad he did. For two reasons—one, because she knows that he's in her dream. She knows that she and he stick through things together. But she didn't need to know that; Annabeth had already told herself that she would stick by his side. It was just the way she felt around him.

And the second reason is because she probably wouldn't have gotten out of there in time. She and Grover would've been dead if he hadn't acted stupidly. Annabeth fell in step beside him, her blood slowing down and her heart rate calming.

"Look, I…I appreciate you coming back for us, okay? That was really brave."

"We're a team, right?"

_You have_ no _idea_, she wanted to say, but bit it back.

"It's just that I don't want you to die." She felt like a piece had been taken out of her brain; saying that didn't feel right. It felt exactly like those other times when she wasn't quoting from the book. That meant she wasn't supposed to say that.

And even Percy gave her a weird look.

_No, that's not right_, she thought, and a faint memory agreed with her.

"It's just that if you died…aside from the fact that it would really suck for you, it would mean the quest was over. This may be my only chance to see the real world." When she said that, she felt comfortable. That's how she knew she was right.

It was getting dark in these woods, but she could still see Percy looking at her.

"It doesn't work for me living at home. I mean, Camp Half-Blood _is_ my home. At camp you train and train and that's all cool and everything, but the real world is where the monsters are. That's where you learn whether you're any good or not."

Percy paused for a moment and she could feel him staring at her, taking in all of her words.

"You're pretty good with that knife."

"You think so?" Her voice raised a little and her cheeks blushed. She had the instinct to mess with her dad's college ring on her necklace.

"Anybody who can piggy-back a Fury and go back in for a second round—just for a book—is okay by me."

Annabeth smiled and she found her and Percy beginning to build a trust relationship. She looked at him staring at the ground. She swallowed, wondering if she should tell him or not about all this future craziness with the books happening. He deserved to know, shouldn't he? He was in her dream, and she couldn't stand not telling anybody.

"You know," she said, "maybe I should tell you…"

That's when Grover interrupted her with his reed pipes.

Annabeth was a little relieved and a little angry about that.

She decided that now would be a good time to read the books. And she could smell the faint scent of cheeseburgers in the air. She knew that if Percy smelled that, she wouldn't ever be able to read.

Somehow, Annabeth was able to convince them to take a break. They leaned against the roots of a tree and Grover played his pipes and they took breaks using the bathroom, though Annabeth took a rain check on that one. She took out the books in her pack and read.

Percy was sitting next to her and he glanced over every now and then. Annabeth narrowed her eyes and with each glance he took, she slowly craned the book away from him so he couldn't see what was inside. She was grateful that she had slipped on the fake book jacket.

Finally, Percy was fed up.

"I don't mean to be snoopy or anything," he said, tilting his head towards her as it rested against the trunk of the tree. "But you're _always_ reading that book, even if your life was in danger you're reading it—literally. Honestly, what's so special about it? Isn't it just a bunch of Greek stuff?"

Annabeth looked up from the book, but didn't look at him. She smiled a little. "More than you think,"

He still stared at her. "Or are you just secretly preparing for a test at camp that you're not telling me about?"

"Nope," she said. "It's just a book."

"What's it about?"

"You ask too many questions,"

"What, are you saying I have a questions limit?"

Annabeth blinked and something jolted inside of her. That question sounded nostalgic, like she'd heard it before. She shook her head slightly; she'd never heard it before. At least she didn't think so. Maybe it was something that happened the first time.

"Will you just be quiet so I can read?"

"Sorry," he stopped talking after that.

Annabeth got through the chapter, rubbing her temples because this was so much trouble that one kid could cause. Before this, she never would've thought that was possible. First a hell hound, then Furies, and now Medusa. And this was only the first book. She wouldn't be surprised if he fell into Tartarus.

Her eyelids were drooping and she looked over and found Percy was dozing off as well, but Grover was still playing his reed pipes—horribly, she had to add.

Annabeth figured it was safe to take a small nap. She kept her dagger in one hand and the books in the other. If any of them tried to take it out and read it while she was sleeping, she'll injure them.

She was waiting for that same dream again—the one where she was at the desk, writing a letter, the one where Percy was screaming her name. But it didn't come. She had a different dream this time.

It was dark, but she heard a voice nearby.

"Who are you?" A voice asked. She recognized it to be Luke. "What do you want from me?"

"You've been talking to me in your dreams," Another voice said, though it was faint, and she didn't recognize it. "Don't you know who I am?"

Luke gasped and she could finally see his face, but it was like a burned memory. "It can't be true. You're dead."

Annabeth's first thought was Thalia, but something told her she was wrong.

"No. With every thought and praise you give me, I grow. Help me, and you will be rewarded. If you help me, your wish will be true. Olympus will fall."

_And Perseus Jackson will be defeated before then_, a different sleepy voice said, but it was a woman. The same one from when the hell hound attacked during Capture the Flag.

"But we'll need an army. Just like we talked about," Luke said.

"With each follower, I'll grow. Build a magnificent army, and I will rise!" The person laughed. "Irony—the gods being defeated by their own children! Ha! It will prove how stupid and weak they are."

"Yes, my lord!" Luke's voice seemed to be happy that Olympus will fall. "They are!"

Annabeth tried to cry out, but it didn't work.

Two lights blazed in the distance of the darkness. They grew larger and larger and Annabeth was terrified. She heard hissing and slithering noises.

"Come, children! Let me see your beautiful gray eyes!"

Annabeth's blood stopped cold and she saw snakes. She stared to scream and thrash, trying to move. But she couldn't.

"Annabeth!" The slithering voice said.

"Annabeth!"

"Will you _wake up_ already?!"

She felt something tugging from her hand.

Annabeth jerked upright, her eyelids flying open, and she heard a scream in the distance, and realized that it came from her own mouth. The book suddenly left from her grasp and she thrust out her other hand, which she thought was holding the dagger, but it turned out it wasn't. It was a fist.

Unfortunately, it was headed right towards Percy.

But he dodged it and yelped.

Annabeth brought her hand back just as quickly as she'd thrown it at him. She gasped and said, "I'm so sorry, Percy! I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay. I didn't think you would be so protective of this book."

"Well didn't the dagger give you a clue?" Grover asked as he was on the opposite side of Percy.

"Here," Percy gave it back to her.

She snatched it and held it close to her. "Don't you ever do that again! Or this time, I _will_ punch you in the face."

"Jeez, calm down." Percy said and started to get up. "I was just trying to wake you up. You were screaming—having a nightmare."

Annabeth thought back to her nightmare. About Luke having a talk with some mystery person about tearing down the gods and Olympus. She hoped it was just some ridiculous dream. But after everything that's happened, she figured that that probably wasn't the case.

"Yeah," she breathed out and Grover helped her to her feet. Then she smelled burgers and her stomach yelled to go to the smell and eat, and she knew what was about to happen.

"C'mon, you guys. I'm hungry and it smells like there's food nearby." Percy said and waved for them to follow.

"I don't feel good about this, Annabeth," Grover murmured.

"Me either," she replied.

"Then why won't you talk Percy out of it?" He looked baffled. "You're probably the only person who _can!_"

"What do you mean by that?"

He sighed. "Nothing,"

Annabeth took in a deep breath. They had to go to "Aunty Em's" whether she liked what was going to happen or not. "Well, I'm hungry. Besides, what could go wrong?"

Grover only said one word in response that sent a vibrating chill up Annabeth's spine.

"Everything,"

* * *

Aunty Monster (that was Annabeth's new nickname for "Aunty Em") was creepier in person—but Annabeth had to admit that these cheeseburgers were _delicious_. It was probably the unhealthiest thing she could eat, but the food was so great and her stomach needed something _badly_.

The only things that kept her hesitating were the reminder of who this Aunty Em really was, and also those weird garden gnomes staring at her.

Then she blinked. _Those_ gnomes _used to be_ people, she told herself. She felt pity for them, and wished she could find a way to bring them back. She was sure that they had had great lives before they stumbled upon this awful place and this horrid woman.

Annabeth glared up at Aunty Em.

Aunty Em smiled down, but Annabeth could see her eyes blazing behind those dark sunglasses.

She had to tear her gaze away and back down to her food, knowing what would happen if she stared any longer and also so that way she didn't lunge out and strangle the woman. But Annabeth's food now looked sickening and her stomach was about to burst. She wanted to sleep, but then realized that if she did, that would mean suffering from another nightmare. She fought to keep her eyes awake.

"You have such beautiful gray eyes, child." Aunty Em said—again. Like she couldn't get enough. This surprised Annabeth because that wasn't mentioned again in the book.

"What's that hissing noise?" Grover asked.

Annabeth heard it too, but Percy didn't because all he could hear at that moment was the chewing in his mouth.

"Hissing? Perhaps you hear the deep-fryer oil."

Annabeth looked over at the counter. There _was_ no deep-fryer oil bubbling or hissing.

"You have keen ears, Grover,"

He blushed a little and glanced around, searching for an answer. "I take vitamins," he said, "for my ears."

"That's admirable," Aunty Em waved it off and then she began to take their food away. "How about we take a picture, children?"

Percy pouted and stared at his leftover fries that she was taking. "But…"

Annabeth kicked him under the table.

"_Annabeth_," he murmured to where only she could hear. "They were my fries. I was gonna eat them."

Annabeth glared at him. She knew what Aunty Em was doing—it was just like all the other monsters. They were acting too quickly. She had to get him to stall her.

He didn't understand. This wasn't part of his memory; he didn't know what to do.

Annabeth guessed she had to take one for the team.

"So," she said, smiling up at Aunty Em. "You sell gnomes,"

"My fries," Percy whimpered.

Annabeth kicked him again, but harder this time. Then she stepped on his foot and he jumped, but before he could snap at her, the woman responded.

"Oh, yes. And some animals. And people. Anything for the garden, but, please, I'd love to take a picture."

"A lot of business on this road?" Annabeth ignored the fact about the picture, and continued on.

Unfortunately, Aunty Em knew how to play at this game. "Now, clean yourselves up while I go get the camera."

"No!" Annabeth reached out and took her wrist, even though Aunty Em didn't even move. This was all wrong, so _very_ wrong. So wrong, it hurt to even move from her seat. "I don't like taking pictures."

Percy turned around, and stared at the girl holding the Easter basket. This made Annabeth relieved—he had still felt the tingling on his neck.

Aunty Em looked over at him and Annabeth _had_ to smirk. She was so dependent on her "power" that she would gloat about it, even when she was trying to destroy them.

"Ah, you notice some of my creations do not turn out well." She took her wrist back and Annabeth sat down again. "They are marred. They do not sell. The face is the hardest to get right. Always the face."

Annabeth glared at her. This was sick to watch.

"You make these statues yourself?" Percy asked. She had to be grateful that he was back on track.

She began to talk about her sob story, but she stopped and sighed, giving a sad look. "Such a price. Maybe a photograph would do me good?"

Annabeth stood up again. "We really should go."

"Nonsense. Just one pose,"

"The ringmaster is waiting," Grover said hesitantly, also seeming confused since the situation was different again.

But Aunty Em was already forcing them to move just how she wanted them. She pushed Annabeth closer to Percy.

"It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?" he said to her through gritted teeth.

Annabeth glared at him. "The harm will be what _she's_ going to do to _us_ and then what _I'm_ going to do to _you!_" She hissed through her teeth.

Percy was baffled. "What the heck are you _talking about?_"

She scoffed and crossed her arms, and she was beginning to get a headache because every word that wasn't what happened before, hurt to be said. But she didn't care, she had to say this truth: "Your head is so full of kelp."

Percy ignored this and turned back to Aunty Em, smiling. But then it faded away. "Not much light for a photo,"

"Enough for us to see each other."

"Where's your camera?" Grover asked.

But Aunty Em was already reaching for her headdress.

He glanced at the satyr next to him and narrowed his eyes. "That sure does look like my Uncle Ferdinand."

"Oh, _great_," Annabeth mumbled as she slowly reached for her Yankees cap. "Percy, something's wrong."

"Wrong?" Aunty Em said, gripping her headdress and Annabeth could tell how much she just wanted to _see_ everything.

Grover gasped. "That _is_ Uncle Ferdinand!"

"Look away from her!" Annabeth shouted and put on her cap, vanishing. She was going to push them both over, but Grover was already scrambling away. So she dove and shoved both her and Percy off the bench. He was surprised, and felt her on him, but couldn't see her; she knew because of his unfocused eyes. Once they reached the floor, they could hear the hissing snakes coming from her scalp.

Annabeth got off of him and ran off. She didn't want to leave him there, but she had to. Her mouth was burning from saying the wrong words.

Annabeth watched as Percy started to look up at the woman. "No! Don't!"

"Run!" she heard Grover bleat out loud and turned on his shoes.

Percy still just lay there, watching her ugly self.

"Such a pity to destroy a handsome young face. Stay with me, Percy. All you have to do is look up."

Annabeth wanted to scream because he still looked confused, at all the things that were happening wrong. She wanted to run out and get him out of there, save him, she wanted to kill the woman.

But she couldn't. And that's what she hated the most.

_Please, Percy. Don't look at her. Look at that gazing ball_, she prayed.

And he did. His green eyes looked at her reflection, and they were glowing as he finally realized who this lady was.

Aunty Em.

Aunty M.

Aunty Monster.

Aunty nothing. Her name is _just Medusa._ With a side of snakes.

Medusa tried to fill his head that Athena had done this to her. Maybe it was true, but it was also her own fault.

"Don't listen to her! Run, Percy!" the burning sensation in her mouth was going away.

"Silence!" Medusa snarled. Then she turned to Percy, putting on an innocent act. "You see why I must destroy the girl, Percy. She is my enemy's daughter. I shall crush her statue to dust. But you, dear Percy, you need not suffer."

"No," Percy muttered, and his legs moved a little.

Medusa was beginning to lose her temper. "Do you really want to help the gods? Do you understand what awaits you? You will die! You will die in the Underworld, and you will die on the stones of Greece!"

_What?_ Annabeth was appalled. She wasn't supposed to say _that._ There was nothing about Greece in the book. Why was everyone mentioning that?

But Medusa wasn't finished. "Do not be a pawn of the Olympians, my dear. You would be better off as a statue. Less pain. Less pain."

"Percy! Duck!" Grover yelled.

Percy turned around and Grover told him to duck again. He dove to one side and Grover hit Medusa, which resulted to her yelling.

"That was for Uncle Ferdinand!"

Annabeth made her way next to Percy, who was watching Grover fly and kick Medusa.

"Percy!" She said once she was next to him.

He jumped and looked to where her voice was, but his eyes were still unfocused—and startled. "Jeez! Don't do that!"

She took off her cap. "You have to cut her head off." She told him like she'd practiced saying it many times.

"What? Are you crazy? Let's get out of here. That book is getting to your—" Annabeth clamped a hand down on his mouth.

"Shh!" She was starting to hurt again. She screwed her eyes shut and then just looked at him and said, "Medusa is a menace. She's evil. I'd kill her myself, but…" She swallowed and took her hand away from his mouth. "You've got the better weapon. Besides, I'd never get close to her. She'd slice me to bits because of my mother. You—you've got a chance."

"What? I can't—"

"Look, do you want her turning more innocent people into statues?"

Percy looked at the couple with their arms around each other. It almost reminded him of his mother. He looked back at Annabeth.

* * *

Medusa really was ugly. Especially with her head cut off.

Her head landed next to Percy's shoe. "_Eww!_" He squealed, his eyes screwing shut. "Get her head _away_ from me…!" He began to say impatiently disgusted, shifting his foot away from her snake hair.

"Oh, yuck." Something gurgled from it. "Mega-yuck." Grover wouldn't look at it.

Annabeth cautiously walked up to Percy and waved out her hands like a warning gesture. "Don't move." She said and he peeked one eye open to look at her.

She wondered if he felt something different when he _did_ something different. Annabeth wasn't sure, but she knelt down without looking and wrapped it around in a black cloth, though something green was still dripping from it.

Annabeth released a breath. _One monster down…who knows how many more to go?_ She asked Percy in a trembling voice if he was okay.

"Yeah. Why didn't…why didn't her head evaporate?"

"Once you sever it, it becomes a spoil of war. Like your Minotaur horn. But don't unwrap the head—it can still petrify you."

Grover came down, moaning, and rubbing his forehead where a welt was growing.

"The Red Baron. Good job, man."

"That really was _not_ fun. Well, the hitting-her-with-a-stick part, that was fun. But crashing into a concrete bear? _Not_ fun. How'd she even get a hold of a bear?" He mumbled, though he wasn't supposed to.

They put the wrapped head in a grocery bag and set it on the table.

"So we have Athena to thank for this monster?" Percy asked.

Annabeth saw this coming, but it still made her angry. It was really Percy's fault, and she explained how it was also his dad's.

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault we met Medusa."

Annabeth straightened, and did an imitation of Percy. "'It's just a photo, Annabeth. What's the harm?'"

"Yeah, so what harm are you going to do to me now?"

She glared at him and then crossed her arms, not saying anything.

He scoffed. "Forget it. You're impossible."

This was the one thing she was hoping to say: "You're insufferable."

"You're—"

"Hey!" Grover interrupted. "You two are giving me a migraine, and satyrs don't even _get_ migraines. What are we going to do with the head?"

Annabeth could see the gears working in Percy's head.

If the gods _hadn't_ helped send her these books and didn't know what was going to happen next, then they were about to get _very_ angry.

When he came back from Medusa's office, and came back with the supplies for Hermes Express, Annabeth blinked hard. Those supplies looked familiar; like she'd used them recently. Well, there was that Hermes Express box that had been sent to her.

And Percy was sending this. But with Medusa's head. Annabeth figured it wasn't a coincidence how it all felt the same.

"They're not going to like that," Grover warned. "They'll think you're impertinent."

Percy poured some golden drachmas in the pouch and it all disappeared not a second later.

"I _am_ impertinent." Percy said. He looked at Annabeth, but she had to admit that she couldn't hide her smile. She hadn't ever really seen anyone who didn't care what happened to them if they ticked off the gods. She could only imagine what the gods were saying right now.

"Come on," she muttered through her up-turned lips. "We need a new plan."

* * *

"Poseidon, it seems that your son has, uh, sent us a gift," Hermes said as he stepped into the white palace of Olympus holding a box. He proceeded to approach the thrones where they were sitting with caution.

Poseidon straightened, looking curious.

Zeus frowned. "Maybe the thief is sending back my bolt."

"He _is_ not the thief."

"Boys, boys, calm down." Hermes said as he set down the box on a table with one hand, and waved a calming gesture to them with the other hand. "Don't get your togas in a twist."

Zeus glared at him and thunder rumbled nearby.

"Zeus, calm down." Aphrodite purred. "Maybe Percy's just sending a welcoming gift for being the new child of the Big Three."

The god of the skies tilted his head back and gritted his teeth as if deciding this assumption.

"Or maybe he's just trying to cause us more trouble. He's already starting a war!" Athena scoffed.

"You're just mad that your daughter's with him." Aphrodite said.

"He _dragged _her into it! She did _not go along!_" Athena kept insisting.

But Aphrodite continued as if she hadn't said a thing. "I have a good feeling about those two. They would make a cute couple."

"Can we please get on with this?" Hera sighed.

"Yes, my lady," Hermes bowed and then he began to open the box. He stared down at it, and began to get a bad feeling about this, but didn't say anything.

"Speak up, Hermes." Poseidon said, "What is it?"

Hermes clenched his teeth and said, "Well, look at that! I've got another delivery!" And then he vanished.

Athena sighed. "Will someone just say what it is already?"

Apollo got up and went to the box. Then he took out the large, wrapped-up ball inside of it. It squished and made a sound in his grasp. He unraveled a piece of it and took a peek of what was inside. He threw back his head and laughed. "Athena, I think this gift is for you."

She sat up. "Why?" She demanded.

Apollo offered it out to her, still wrapped.

Athena stood and walked to it. She took it in her grasp, giving Apollo a look and then when she felt it, her eyebrow twisted and her top lip curled, disgusted. "What is this? What has that little disaster spawn sent?" she mumbled to herself.

Athena began to unwrap it, and the sounds of hissing began to crescendo. She began to grow more confused with each unravel.

Suddenly, she dropped the headdress and screamed, and she let the head of Medusa fall from her hand. She kept screaming in horror and the ugly head rolled on the once-clean tiles. Medusa's open eyes were out there for the gods to see.

A horrid gasp rippled through them and they looked away. Only Zeus waved his hand and the head disappeared.

Poseidon should've been a little ticked with his son, for making matters worse for the both of them by sending Medusa's head. But he was the only one snickering. He had to admit, Percy had the same rebel attitude that he had.

Athena glared at him. "That little _brat!_ He will pay for disrespecting the gods!" she screamed and with a frustrated and another disgusted growl, she stormed away, her toga sailing behind her.

"Oh, calm down, will you?" Poseidon called out. "It may not have been Zeus' lightning bolt, or a welcoming gift, but at least he's the only one around here with a sense of humor—and knows what he's doing!"

But Athena didn't turn around. She disappeared in the shadows of Olympus.

* * *

Annabeth pretended to be asleep. When, really, she was reading. She read along every sentence Percy and Grover took. She was glad Grover didn't tell Percy about her past. She knows that, if he knows, he might cut her some slack, but still. He shouldn't know yet, it just doesn't feel right.

On top of this whole books-connected-to-every-word-and-action-we-take problem, even this quest is going wrong! It was so confusing to Annabeth, and she hated being in this situation. She thought it was going to be helpful knowing what would happen next, but really, it's not.

She listened throughout their conversation, and fell asleep with Percy as Grover played Piano Concerto no. 12.

Annabeth had another different dream that night. She was in a dark cavern and something was tugging at her clothes. She stared down into a pit that was so wide and completely black, it made her dizzy. Something was trying to rise from the pit.

_The little hero_, a voice said. It sounded like the one from the dream with Luke. _Too weak, too young, but perhaps you will do._

Annabeth looked up and saw Percy on the other side of the mouth of the pit, staring down into its bottomless darkness. He opened his mouth, like he was trying to say something, but no words came out.

All she heard was, _Your blood will do_, echoing off the words of the mystery person.

_They have misled you, boy_, it said. _Barter with me. I will give you what you want._

_ Like Luke, _Annabeth thought.

Then a woman came up, a shimmering image of her. She had black hair, and kind of looked like Percy. She was trying to tell him something.

Then suddenly, Annabeth fell into the pit, something tugging at her foot and then something grabbed her wrist. She looked up. It was Percy. He was barely holding onto a ledge, also holding her wrist.

She was telling him to let her go. He couldn't pull them both up.

"Never," he said. He looked up at another kid leaning over, with black curly hair and his skin was so pale, Annabeth thought he was dead. "The other side, Nico! We'll see you there. Understand?"

"Promise me!" Percy shouted.

"I—I will."

"We're staying together." He looked down at her. "You're not getting away from me. Never again." His words echoed off the black pit.

"As long as we're together," she said.

That was the first time in a while Annabeth woke up peacefully. Grover was crouching next to Percy. He was holding a poodle in his arms, talking to him.

"He's still asleep." Grover gestured to Percy.

"Why are you talking to that?" Annabeth asked.

"That is a poodle. Be nice to him, he's going to help us. Say hello to Gladiola."

Annabeth gave him a look. Grover raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips.

"Hello…Gladiola," Annabeth said then she got up and when her back was to Grover and the poodle, she rolled her eyes. She began to scramble through her pack that they filled with supplies from Aunty Em's snack bar.

Percy was mumbling. Saying "No! I won't!" and then calling out for his mom.

Annabeth looked at him exasperatedly. She didn't like to see him look so helpless.

She could tell he was still asleep by the drool coming out of Percy's mouth. Annabeth thought about him saving her from the pit. She leaned over and began to shake him. Tears began to swell in her eyes as she looked down at him, thinking about that dream. But she blinked them away and kept shaking him.

Finally, he opened his eyes, his sea green eyes beginning to focus on her. He was trembling, like he'd just lived through a nightmare—which he probably did.

"Well," Annabeth said, "the zombie lives."

She tossed him a bag of chips.

The poodle yapped in Grover's arms. He looked down at the dog and said, "No, he's not."

Percy blinked. "Are you…talking to that thing?"

The poodle growled.

"That thing is our ticket west. Be nice to him."

"You can talk to animals?"

Grover ignored that and introduced Percy to Gladiola. Percy looked at Annabeth with a raised eyebrow, silently asking if he was being serious or if this was just a joke.

Annabeth stared back at him, totally serious.

"I'm not saying hello to a pink poodle," he said. "Forget it."

"Percy," Annabeth said. "I said hello to the poodle. You say hello to the poodle."

He looked back at Gladiola and he growled at Percy.

Percy said hello to the poodle.

Grover explained how Gladiola was going to help them get some money by the reward of returning the poodle to its rich family.

"How does Gladiola know about the reward?" Percy wants to know.

"He read the signs. Duh,"

"Of course," Percy said sarcastically, "silly me."

"So we turn in Gladiola, get money, and buy the tickets to Los Angeles. Simple." Annabeth said.

But she knew that nothing was ever going to be simple again. She knew by the dream, how she and Percy hung in that chasm and it tugged on her ankle. And that pale-dead boy whose name was supposedly Nico. It poked at her memory, like she'd seen it before. Annabeth realized that _those_ dreams might not be _just_ nightmares, but memories as well.

* * *

**Yes, I had to add in the reaction about the head and Annabeth's dream about the "very hard fall". I hope you guys liked! Please, please review! And thank you for all the favorites and follows! **

**(I also want to thank Tazmaster again for those outfits based on my other story How Love Feels. I was looking at them again and I love them so very much! XD)**


	7. Relief but Then Ares Happened

**Writing this story is such a good way to end my Monday. I hope reading it is the same for you, because everyone hates Mondays. You always have to have something to cheer it up besides the fact that it's the end of the day.**

**Anyways, I have lots of good news!XD**

**Firstly, we are at over 100 pages in Word! WHOOO! Secondly, we are more than halfway through ****The Lightning Thief****! **

**Thirdly...**

**15.**

**15 days. **

**I am going to freak.**

**I'd like to point out that it is not at all good for my emotions when the next series for the 39 Clues, Allegiant, and House of Hades come out in the same month. Very bad timing. **

**Well I'm going to stop being a fangirl for just a couple minutes so you can read this chapter. :)**

* * *

"Okay," Grover murmured to Annabeth once the doors to the elevator closed without Percy there. "Now there's something wrong. I can smell it."

"Will you shut _up_, Grover?" Annabeth hissed. "I'm nervous enough; you don't have to add on."

His inhales drew in deeper and longer, and his chest puffed out a little more. "Smells like…like a Chihuahua."

The other people in the elevator began to send them looks and Annabeth elbowed him in the ribs.

"Calm down, Percy will be fine."

"Like an _ugly_ Chihuahua."

Annabeth didn't scold him this time. She just stared at the numbers that beeped as they descended with each floor they passed. She caught her breath each time the number changed, hoping it would change again. She just wanted to reach the bottom without having to deal with another monster. She wasn't sure when another pain would flash through her—or how long it would last.

Finally, the elevator doors opened up and she immediately stepped out of them, wanting her foot to step onto ground floor. Grover followed her out and they waited off to the side to wait for Percy.

Before they reached that, though, the building rumbled and everyone gasped, wondering how that happened.

But Annabeth and Grover knew as they shared a look.

"I told you," Grover said.

"Oh, gods," she took his hand and they ran outside. "Let's go."

There was already a crowd forming outside, people gawking with their hands over their mouths as they pointed up at the floor she and Grover were just on.

Who knows what the mortals saw, but what Annabeth saw was nothing close to a Chihuahua. It was a chimera, with the head of a lion, its body a goat and instead of paws, it had hooves. And its tail was a giant snake—or serpent, Annabeth should correct.

It breathed fire and the snake was poisonous.

She saw a black dot in the midst of the fire. Something glinted against that dot, like a sword. Her breath caught in her throat; it was Percy. And, once again, he was in trouble.

She wasn't able to read this on the Amtrak. Percy was sitting next to her the entire time and there was no way she could read it without him doing so as well.

Annabeth was not reticent to scream out Percy's name as he tried to fight the chimera. He may be one of the Big Three's son, but that doesn't mean that he could take on this on his own.

She knew he couldn't hear her, but she wished he could, and so she sprinted back into the building. But the guards were evacuating everyone, and even when she tried to slip past them, the elevators had been shut down. Annabeth was frustrated, but Grover was there trying to calm her down.

"I've got my shoes! We can fly up there!"

"No, there are too many people here. They could see you and—it'd just be too dangerous."

Grover frowned. "You're right,"

Annabeth stepped back outside, her and Grover in the crowd once again, and she heard the chimera roar and cry. She hoped that meant Percy was winning.

As if on cue, everyone gasped and cried out.

There was that dot, flying down towards the air, plummeting right toward the river.

"_Percy!_" Annabeth cried out and suddenly, she couldn't breathe.

She was falling, or at least, it felt like she was. Her vision flipped upside down and her knees buckled and suddenly, she found herself sitting on the ground, her mind woozy, her vision swimming, and her voice still crying out his name from far away.

"_Annabeth!_" Percy's cry echoed.

"I'm here," she tried to respond. She blinked, and her vision turned dark, and in that split second, a flash erupted from behind her eyelids and she saw the desk and the letter.

_What?_ She thought. _Where am I?_ Her hands shook and she felt the ground, but saw the desk.

_READ THE BOOKS CAREFULLY_, it said.

_"We didn't fight through Tartarus for nothing,"_

_ I couldn't just...die_. She heard Percy's voice.

"Annabeth?" Grover was saying. "Are you okay?"

_"You have no faith,"_ a strange voice said; one Annabeth didn't recognize. _"You do not trust the gods. I cannot blame you, little coward. Better you die now—much easier instead of at Greece. The gods are faithless. The poison is in your heart."_

_"Die," it said. "Die!"_

_ Come down, little hero!_

_ A one-way trip. A very hard fall_, something else cackled.

"Father, help me," Percy's voice said.

"_Annabeth!_" His voice echoed again.

"_Percy!_" she cried out, and suddenly she was brought back to something hard clasping her shoulder and shaking her.

Annabeth's eyes flew open, and she was back to reality, to New York, to Percy falling. She was sitting on the ground, the crowd of tourists around her, and Grover was that thing clasping her shoulder.

"What _happened_ to you?" Grover asked.

Annabeth shook her head, her hands shaking as they ran through her curly hair. The thought snapped like two fingers in her head and she immediately twisted around and brought out her backpack, opening it up and taking out The Lightning Thief.

"What's that?" Grover asked.

But Annabeth didn't answer. She opened it up, flipping to where she marked the page. "Gotta know what happened…was that real?" she was mumbling to herself.

Grover continued to stare at the book, his eyebrows furrowing and his mouth opening a little more. He blinked, as if he were seeing things. "What—is that—what book is that, Annabeth?"

She still didn't respond, as her eyes scanned the lines that told her what happened to Percy. He couldn't be dead. There was no way!

Finally, Grover took the book from her hands and turned away, reading it.

Annabeth yelped and jumped to her feet. "Give that back, Grover!" She tried reaching around him to snatch it back, but he kept it out of her reach.

"Where did you get this?!" He asked fiercely. "_How_ did you get this? It—it just said—how does this talk about Percy falling—like he just did?" He bleated and looked back at her, his hazel eyes wide and confused.

Annabeth stammered. She hadn't been prepared for any of this. The only thing she knew was that even though she had the books to guide her, she still would never be prepared.

"Tell me now," he said, and this made her even more surprised. He never yelled, he never got mad—this was Grover, who cried when you swatted a bug.

She swallowed. "I—I can't—"

"Annabeth," he said in a low and shaking voice. His chin wobbled. "What is going on?"

She started to cry as well and tears swelled up in her eyes. She exclaimed through the lump in her throat, "Why does everyone keep asking _me_?! Like I'm supposed to know! This was _put on me!_ I have no idea what the heck is happening!" Annabeth wiped at her eyes and said under her breath, "Gods,"

"I—I'm sorry, Annabeth," He said and began to give her the book back. "But this…this is talking about something that happened." He began to shake his head. "I don't even know what to say…"

She took the book back and hugged it to her and took a deep breath. She couldn't breathe again, and she thought she was having another incident, so quickly, but then she realized it was because this was _never_ supposed to happen. Which means this was the second chance to fix things because the first time it happened, the books weren't there. There were no lines to read, it was blind instinct, and she realized that that was what she needed to do. Not go along the book, but to do what she needed to do as a half-blood.

Annabeth sighed and looked back at Grover.

The letter said not to tell anyone, but she was the one who had written it in the first place. She was sure she'd understand in the future, because Grover was someone she could trust. And this was a desperate time to tell someone.

"All right," she breathed out hoarsely, "I'll tell you."

* * *

Grover blinked. "Let me get this straight, so you've been freaking out ever since Percy came here so you can follow and try to figure out what these books mean because if you don't, then the whole world and everyone in it could possibly die?"

Annabeth nodded.

"Oh, and let's not forget that the books came from the future. You, in the future, sent them to you—your younger self. And that's why you keep having those dreams, and why you keep having those pains, because of what keeps replaying from when time…rewound…in the…future?" Grover squinted one eye, suddenly lost in the words that tried to form a sentence.

Annabeth nodded again. "Yeah, that's right. Do you feel anything different? Anything weird, because right now, we're totally off the lines from the book." She could taste the fowl taste that lingered in her mouth.

Grover nodded numbly. "A little bit," he mumbled.

"I know it's hard to believe, Grover, but you have to trust me. Please, I need help with this." Annabeth put her head in her hands. "I feel like a crazy person just from reading these books."

Grover didn't respond at first. He stared into the crowd that stared at where Percy had fallen from the building. He was still nervous about that, but now his brain was twisted into confused knots just from thinking about this situation Annabeth has. It was worse, because now they had to think about both the quest, and this. It seemed as though the quest was nothing compared to this.

They sat against a wall away from the thick crowd expanding with each news broadcast.

He drew in a shaky deep breath. "Annabeth, I'd rather get peanut-butter-and-ketchup sandwiches thrown at me by Nancy Bobofit than try to figure out what this means."

Annabeth groaned softly and screwed her eyes shut. The cries and the exclaimed talks of the mortals saying that they saw a boy cause a freak explosion!

She couldn't listen to it anymore. Because they had no idea—no idea what really happens. They have no idea about what she's going through now.

"But I'm going to help." Grover added on.

She slowly raised her head and stared at him in awe. "Really?"

He nodded, and his chin wasn't trembling, and his voice was firm and full of truth when he said, "It's always been my job to be yours and Percy's and Thalia's and Luke's protector. But I will always be your friend, and I'm going to help you. Besides, if I help you, then we can both help Percy do what he's supposed to do."

Annabeth shook her head. "We can't tell him anything about this. It's all in his point-of-view. If he sees this, then he will be the one who ends up in a straight jacket."

Grover frowned. "I think that, by now, we should all be in straight jackets."

"It's the gods' fault."

Lightning and thunder crackled from the distance, where the strangest storm was brewing, because Zeus still didn't have his bolt.

Grover couldn't help but smile. "And we'll be able to help that guy." He looked up at the sky.

Annabeth nodded.

"So what happens next?" He asked.

Annabeth takes out the book and hands it to him. He opens it again, his eyes scanning the pages where Annabeth marked it.

"It's been getting worse. Like, just now, when I fell. It's like my brain is trying to get a hold of memories that I can't remember yet because it hasn't actually happened yet." She shakes her head. "It's so confusing,"

Grover bleated. "What!"

Annabeth looked over. "What?"

"The words—they, they're disappearing!" His eyes were wide and he began to point at the pages. "Look, it's all gone!" He flipped through the pages, looking at them all. "It's all gone, Annabeth. It's blank."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth took the book and she looked at page…that still had the faded printed words on them. She was confused. "What do you mean? They're still there. _I_ can see them,"

Grover blinked. "Then read me a sentence of Percy when he fell."

Annabeth flipped forward a couple pages and then read, "'Die, faithless one,' Echidna rasped, and the Chimera sent a column of flame toward my face. 'Father, help me,' I prayed. I turned and jumped. My clothes on fire, poison coursing through my veins, I plummeted toward the river.'"

They were silent and then stared at each other with wide eyes.

"Holy gods of Olympus, _Echidna_?!" Grover exclaimed. "Percy has the worst luck in the world,"

"I don't think luck has anything to do with it." Annabeth said. "Luck didn't bring the books here; luck didn't bring Percy to camp." She frowned.

Grover looked at her, his eyes suddenly serious. "You think that this is all on purpose?"

Annabeth nods. "It has to be. The monsters, in the book, they don't seem as vicious, but in real life, they act faster, that's why we're not prepared for it."

"Maybe that's why I can't see what's on the pages," he frowns in frustration.

Annabeth shrugs. "I don't know. But I can still see them so I guess that's what counts. I'll still keep you updated."

"How, though? We can't talk without Percy hearing."

She frowns, but before she can reply, Grover gasps and says, "Ooh! I've been wanting to try this out. It's called an empathy link. So you can tell me through dreams."

Annabeth nodded. "Okay, that sounds good. So how do you make an empathy link?"

Grover waved it off. "I'll take care of it,"

Annabeth looked back at the ground, and so much pressure was off of her chest now that she told Grover. She felt so good, because she knew that she didn't have to go through this alone now. It was like when she was seven all over again.

A chill went through her and Grover asked what they had to do now.

"Well…" she took out the book and flipped through it, and then read to him what happened while Percy was underwater in the river.

Grover blinked hard. "That's…that's insane."

Annabeth frowned. What were these gifts that this messenger was telling him?

Then, faded in the background of overlapped voices of different reporters, she heard it. The cry of a little girl.

"Mama! That boy walked out of the river."

"Well, that's our cue to leave," Annabeth said immediately and pulled Grover up, returning his fake foot back on after it slipped from him standing.

"How do you know?"

"It says so in the book,"

"Oh…right," Grover said in uncertainty. "You're going to have to give me some time to get used to this…"

"It's okay; I still haven't caught its current." Annabeth said, and then she added on, "Listen, you can't tell Percy about anything. Don't even act differently and don't make him think that something else happened. He can't know a thing."

Grover nodded and then he looked forward and his eyes brightened. "Perrr-cy!"

* * *

Annabeth should've known Grover was going to be like this. He stared at Percy with big eyes and his eyebrows knitted together in confusion. Like he was trying to read his mind and see if he knew about the books.

She could tell that Percy realized this too because he returned Grover a slightly dazed look, as if he himself was wondering if _he_ was starting to grow horns instead, and that's what Grover was concentrated on.

And Grover talked slowly and in monotone, and then would obviously glance at Annabeth as if asking if he was right.

Annabeth would glare back.

But then again, she couldn't believe how much relief she was getting. First, she told Grover, and then she got to see Luke's face for a couple minutes. She felt better now—healed.

The car wash was loud, and Annabeth wanted everything to be silent so she could hear Luke and so that her headache would go away, but that wasn't what she was going to get without leaving Luke. But that wasn't the case. What with Grover still giving her those wide-eyed looks every time he spoke, and the loud music, and the fact that she looked like a mess in front of Luke just made her sick and she wanted to get _out_.

"Chiron had to—what's that noise?" Luke yelled.

"I'll take care of it!" Annabeth said abruptly and she began to leave. "Grover, come on!"

"What? But—"

"Give Percy the nozzle and come on!" she commanded and Grover just had to give up the nozzle with a grumble of how girls were so hard to understand. He followed Annabeth and with his back to Percy, he winked at Annabeth.

She rolled her eyes and continued to the next stall.

"Wasn't I good? Wow, this is amazing, I think I'm starting to get the hang of—"

Once they were out of Percy's sight, Annabeth turned on him.

"What is the matter with you?!" She hissed.

Grover blinked in hurt and confusion and he halted as Annabeth stopped right in front of him. "What—what do you mean?"

"You're so obvious! You look like a bug!" Annabeth continued. "Percy can tell something's up because of you!"

He frowned and looked up at her from under his eyebrows. "I'm sorry…" he said in a small voice.

She sighed—his pouting, goat face was enough to make her succumb. "It's fine, just talk like you would normally talk. Don't make him think there's something that we know that he doesn't."

Grover nodded. "Okay, I will,"

"And don't give me that look,"

He couldn't help but give a bashful grin.

She smirked and they walked into the next stall, the music from the intruder pounding beneath her feet. She wasn't sure if it was from that music, or the fact that she went off the book that caused the pain in her stomach. She figured it had nothing to do with the music.

Annabeth had read this in the book when coming on the train. She was able to get Grover alone to talk to him while Percy had dozed off.

When they walked in, she saw a middle-aged man with a beer belly and a beard, and he was beginning to pour water into a bucket. His off-tune voice screamed along with the music that blared from the Lincoln that had its windows down.

"Sir!" She yelled out to him. He couldn't hear her, so she yelled it louder and he looked at her.

"What do you want?!" His gruff voice snapped.

"Can you turn down your music, please?! It's so loud I can barely _think!_"

He chuckled bitterly. "That's expected, coming from a kid like you!"

Grover's eyes widened—this guy basically just told Annabeth she was a kid—and stupid! He glanced down at Annabeth, who had that stormy look in her eyes, her arms crossed. _Oh, gods_, he thought. _It's about to go down_.

"Turn down your music!" she yelled.

"I already told you no, kid! Now scram so I can wash my car!"

"That wasn't a question! It was a statement!"

"Yeah, well what are you going to do about it?!"

Annabeth was getting frustrated. Her head was pounding, and this horrid music wasn't making it any better. She huffed, her cheeks burning, and straightened as she walked quickly and steadily to the car and reached inside through the open window.

"Hey!" the guy dropped the hose and hurried to her, his beer belly jiggling, and he pointed a stubby finger at her. "Don't touch my car! Get out of there before I call the police!"

Annabeth reached to the radio and turned down the volume, the music dropping so dramatically that it left a ringing in her ears. But at least she could hear over it without struggle now. She turned towards the guy whose pudgy face was contorted into an angry expression.

"You punk!" he said. "That was my music—"

"You mean the music that proves that ugly, baboon-faced, pig-smelling guys like you can't sing? That's right, because that music was awful, and I had every right to turn it down because I could get the police to arrest you for being disrespectful to the public!"

He blinked hard, like he couldn't follow the words that she was saying. "Get out of here!" He finally yelled, and Annabeth could feel some spit spraying onto her face. He pointed his fat finger at her again. "If I see you around here again—"

Annabeth gritted her teeth and took his finger, twisting it and then slammed him up against his Lincoln. He screamed out in pain, but she didn't care.

Sure, she read the book.

But it didn't give any details to what she did.

This meant she could hurt him however she wanted.

Annabeth had to smile at the thought.

She took out her dagger and barely rose its point to his throat. His eyes widened, and he swallowed, his large Adam's apple bobbing up and down in fear and a strangled noise groaned from his mouth. Annabeth knew that the Mist changed the way her dagger looked to him, but who knows what he saw instead.

"Annabeth—!" Grover called out.

But she was talking to the man: "Listen to me, you smelly-breathed oaf. I am not a punk, or a kid, or am I stupid. I just wanted your music down because it was so loud! And you were such a selfish idiot that you couldn't do that. Now, I suggest you start taking us 'kids' seriously, keep your music down, and find somewhere else to wash your car."

Right when she took away her dagger, the man jumped into his car and immediately turned off the music completely. Annabeth stepped closer, raising her dagger a little, but he screamed in terror, closed his car door, and then drove off.

"Well," Grover said as he stepped up next to her, watching the Lincoln's tires squeal off. "You sure showed him,"

Annabeth sheathed her dagger and smiled proudly. "I sure did."

They shared a look and began to laugh as they turned back to the other stall where Percy was talking to Luke.

"Remember," Annabeth whispered to Grover, "just act normally."

Grover nodded, and they stepped into the next stall laughing, as they approached Percy.

* * *

Angry Ares—that should be his nickname. At least, his nickname whenever he's around Percy. Annabeth figured this would be the situation because Percy didn't get along with _anyone_. If he had crowned Clarisse Queen of the Bathrooms, then Ares was about to be crowned the King of all Urinals.

Annabeth's blood boiled with each word that Ares spoke, with each breath he took. And each time he moved, she flinched like she was ready to hit back, but, unfortunately, no fist made contact with any face.

"I need you to do me a favor." Ares was saying.

This made Annabeth's brain rewind and blink hard. She realized that she had to pay attention to what he was saying, because no god came up to a half-blood for a _favor_—or admitted for help_. _And when they came up to _Percy_, then that meant that this was a serious problem.

"What favor could I do for a god?" Percy asked, almost bitterly, but that was expected when talking to Ares.

"Something a god doesn't have time to do himself." Ares shrugged. "It's nothing much. I left my shield at an abandoned water park here in town. I was going on a little…date with my girlfriend. We got interrupted. I left my shield behind. I want you to go fetch it for me."

Annabeth could sense that they were heading right into a trap. Ares wasn't ever one to forget his shield, even if he and Aphrodite were interrupted.

"Why don't you go back and get it yourself?" Percy snapped.

Annabeth was about to add on a smug, "Yeah," but bit her tongue back. Something told her that she didn't want to mess with Ares right now. She figured that when his eyes glows a fiercer red.

"Why don't I turn you into a prairie dog and run you over with my Harley?"

Annabeth wondered if Mrs. Dodds or Ares had ever conversed over their hatred towards Percy before. Or if that's how the one Fury would get along with the god of war.

"A god is giving you a chance to prove yourself, Percy Jackson. Will you prove yourself a coward?" When Ares leaned forward, Annabeth had to resist the urge to lean further back. "Or will you only fight when there's a river to dive into, so your daddy can protect you."

"We're not interested," Percy said. "We've already got a quest."

Ares scoffed. "You don't know what you're up against, punk. It's not just this quest you've gotta worry about."

"What do you mean?"

Annabeth looked over at Percy, and he was confused, his eyes slightly in a daze. That was how she knew that Ares was saying something off the books. This made her heart jolt a little, because that meant that he probably knew about the books.

"I know all about your little quest, punk." Ares said, but Annabeth zoned out. She began to think that maybe the gods had helped her set this up in the future. That meant that they were probably secretly helping her out, which would mean that they were on her and Grover's side. Her eyes landed on the table as the gears worked in her head.

"Your father and I go way back," Ares was saying. "After all, I'm the one who told him about my suspicions about old Corpse Breath."

Annabeth began to piece it together in her head about this quest, the one they were really living in now—not the one that involved the books. Ares had told Poseidon that Hades had stolen the bolt, and she scoffed a little. How could she not have thought about it?! Ares is the god of war, after all—he was starting a war!

But then she wondered if Ares had anything to do with that dream of Luke—who was also supposedly planning to "destroy Olympus", though Annabeth wouldn't allow herself to believe it.

And then her thoughts led her back to the books. Do the gods know about them?

Annabeth looked up at Ares, whose eyes seem to be blazing at her.

"Help me out, and maybe I'll tell you some things you need to know—maybe about your mom."

"My mom?" Percy's voice cracked with hopefulness.

Ares grinned. "That got your attention. The water park is a mile west of Delancy. You can't miss it. Look for the Tunnel of Love ride."

Tunnel of Love? Annabeth had to laugh. Sometimes he and Aphrodite made it just a little too easy.

"You're lucky you met me, punk, and not one of the other Olympians. They're not as forgiving of rudeness as I am. I'll meet you back here when you're done. Don't disappoint me."

And then Angry Ares was gone, taking his motorcycle with him. Annabeth stared out the window, taking in the twist that has now interrupted their quest for just a little bit longer.

"Ares sought you out, Percy," Grover said, "this is not good."

"It's probably just some kind of trick." Percy said as he stared down at his cheeseburger without an appetite. "Forget Ares. Let's just go."

"We can't," Annabeth said as she looked at Percy. The words began to blurt out of her mouth, but she wasn't surprised that they came out easily. "Look, I hate Ares as much as anybody, but you don't ignore the gods unless you want serious bad fortune. He wasn't kidding about turning you into a rodent."

For some reason, when she said that word, rodent, an image flashed through her. She saw a cage full of guinea pigs, all of them squealing at her. It was like a memory, like she'd seen it before, and then she saw herself eat a gummy that looked too much like ambrosia.

A shudder ran up her spine and she blinked, but when her eyes opened, she wasn't in that image—she was back at the diner. She was back at staring at Percy and Grover.

Percy's words brought her back to her senses: "Why does he need us?"

It took her a while to answer him, but after that image went through her head—so calmly and silently and not violently, which was strange—it brought away some of her headache as well. Like she had gained a memory.

"Maybe it's a problem that requires brains," she said slowly, as slowly as regaining her place back on earth, and not from her transcendent experience. "Ares has strength. That's all he has. Even strength has to bow to wisdom sometimes."

Annabeth wasn't even surprised by how easily she was piecing this together without the book. It really was like she was reliving the quest. But two questions kept hanging in her head, reminding her that there were more loose ends to tie.

Firstly, did the gods know about the books that were troubling Grover and Annabeth?

And secondly, would Ares, for once, be generous enough to tell them the answer to that?

"But this water park…" Percy said, bringing her out of her thoughts again, "he acted almost scared. What would make a war god run away like that?"

Annabeth and Grover shared a look. They knew—they knew that there were many things to be scared about right now. Even something for a war god to be scared about.

Annabeth says, "I'm afraid we'll have to find out."

* * *

Annabeth could not believe she was doing this.

The Tunnel of Love.

With _Percy!_

It's _so embarrassing!_

Her cheeks burned as they walked down the side of the pool and found the boat with the shield and scarf in it. All around them were mirrors and everywhere she looked, her and Percy's red faces stared right back at her.

Percy picked up Aphrodite's scarf, and Annabeth's eyes were wondering around until she saw him staring at it dreamily, and his hands moved to where he was going to touch his face with it, and she pursed her lips, gritted her teeth and then snatched it away from him. He gave her a hurt and pouting look, but she just glared at him.

"Oh, no you don't. Stay away from that love magic." She ordered. Annabeth wouldn't ever _dream_ about liking Percy that way, but it hurt her heart a little to think that even he fell for that kind of stuff.

"What?" he was naïve, and that made Annabeth want to slap him upside the head to shake out the kelp.

"Just get the shield, Seaweed Brain, and let's get out of here."

Annabeth saw the symbol a little too late. "Wait," the word blurted from her mouth.

"Too late."

She pointed out the Greek letter just as the erupting noise of metal-on-metal roared through the pavement.

"Guys!" Grover called and Annabeth looked up at him and his wide-eyed look. They weren't prepared for this, because she hadn't read the book and they hadn't joined through the empathy link.

Before she could say anything, the golden cables began to bind each other, and in her mind that had looked at architecture and Greek mythology her whole life, she could see the golden net forming itself.

"We have to get out," Percy said.

"Duh!" She responded. Seriously, he could be a Kelp Head a lot of times.

Percy grabbed the shield and they ran up the side of the pool towards Grover, who was trying to encourage them to hurry and holding open an exit for them to climb through. It was no use as the golden strands began to wrap themselves around his touch. In the corner of her eyes, she could see the black cameras appear from the Cupid's heads.

The symbol, Eta, meant 'H'.

Hephaestus.

And now they're going to be on TV. Although that might've been an appeasing thought in a normal life, but this wasn't normal TV. It was Olympus—with her mother, and Zeus, and Poseidon! If this video broadcasted to them, she would die of embarrassment—more than riding the Tunnel of Love with Percy.

This made her run faster towards the edge of the pool, where there was still one part of the net open for her and Percy to clamber through. She was so close, and the plans unfolded in her head—

Then those…_things_ came out.

Those ugly, creepy, _things_.

Annabeth halted and screamed.

They clicked and made uglier noises as metal than they did as when they were real.

Spiders.

Oh, gods.

"Sp—sp—" And then she _screamed_. Screamed enough to make her own lungs rattle. She fell backwards and Percy had to pull her up and run back to the boat.

Those spiders came from everywhere like a giant wave. Their population didn't seem to stop and they continued to follow them, making clicking noises with their pincers, and completely surrounding them.

They had no choice but to climb into the boat and the spiders were right there with them. Percy began to kick at them, while Annabeth felt terror engulf her so much that she could feel the lump in her throat to where she couldn't even scream.

Soon, the spiders began to try to tie them down to the boat, and the countdown began for their show to the gods. Percy could easily break through the cobwebbed strands, but so many was just a little too much for them to handle.

Annabeth couldn't hear Percy when he yelled to Grover. All she could think about was the ringing noise in her ears, the clicking noises all around her, and the thought that those creepy little legs were crawling all around her.

Until finally, she heard it—her own scream, but it sounded like it was in a distance.

But then she heard the word, "_Zero!_" right as a burst of water rushed through her ears and suddenly she was soaking wet, causing her scream to stop. She felt Percy pull her into the seat and buckle her in and the wave pounded against their boat, sweeping them away. She could feel the lights and cameras on them.

Annabeth started to breathe heavily, finally pulling herself together, and she looked at Percy, whose green eyes was staring at the water, and she could tell he was trying to concentrate.

Concentrating on making her sick! They whirled around in circles, and suddenly, they were in complete darkness, and they fell through the Tunnel of Love. Annabeth lunged over and she gripped Percy, whose arms were holding her too, and their screams echoed against each other.

The boat rocked and rattled and plunged down small hills through the ride and then suddenly, they emerged from the ride and into the cool night.

Then they had another problem—there were two boats piled up against a locked gate, which _still_ meant no exit.

"Unfasten your seatbelt," Percy told Annabeth.

"Are you crazy?" She snapped back.

"Unless you want to get smashed to death." Percy said as he strapped on Ares' shield. "We're going to have to jump for it."

She looked ahead, seeing what he meant, and her hand instinctively shot out and gripped his. Like a muscle memory that had done that action so many times before, even though she really hadn't—she really hadn't remembered anything.

"On my mark," Percy said.

"No! On _my_ mark!" She countered back, because she was not going to let a Seaweed Brain like him plan her to her death.

"What?"

"Simple physics!" She tried explaining the thoughts that were coursing through her head, the equations, the numbers, and the time. It was all simple.

"Fine!" Percy shouted exasperatedly. "On _your_ mark!"

She waited, holding her breath for a couple seconds. And then…finally! After she shouted out the cue to jump, next thing she knew, they were flying through the air, and before they could hit the ground, something caught them from the back of their shirts. But they still fell, and ended up somewhat-slowed-crash-landed to the ground.

Annabeth and Percy shared a look, a look of thanks to each other. Because without the other, neither of them would be alive.

They helped Grover, changing him from Noo-Noo the whale, back to Grover the satyr. Annabeth was helping Grover clean off and straighten up as he gave her a forced look, as if asking: _Was_ that _really supposed to happen?_

Annabeth didn't know, so all she could do was press her lips together and shrug. They turned back to Percy, who was staring at those cameras that were now pointed on them.

It was all silent, and she could almost imagine all the looks from Olympus staring back at them. She wondered what they thought—what they were saying. She hoped her mother wasn't watching, because this is disrespectful to her in so many ways.

"Show's over!" he yelled to them. "Thank you! Good night!"

As if the Cupid's knew what he was saying, they turned back to their original positions, the camera's disappearing, the spotlights turning off, and the whole park going dark.

Percy turned back to Grover and Annabeth. By the look on his face, he knew it too. He knew that they had been tricked, by a certain god. Annabeth felt so stupid again—Ares came up to them for a reason, came up to the supposed "lightning thief" for a purpose. They were his game pieces, being fooled in front of the gods.

"We need to have a little talk with Ares."

* * *

Ares was already out the doors of Olympus, smirking as his footsteps made soft sounds against the floors. They had stepped right into it—but he had to give the props to Hephaestus. Boy, those spiders would've been a hackle to work with.

"B-But—!" Hephaestus spluttered. "That was…Aphrodite and-and Ares!"

"Hephaestus," Zeus thundered. "Enough of this nonsense! We have more important things to do other than worry about your love life!"

"Please, darling, you're embarrassing yourself," Aphrodite cooed.

Hephaestus growled. "I will prove it! I will prove that you're cheating on me!" And with that, he turned and walked away.

"Honestly, I have to thank him," Athena said as she straightened in her throne. "He proved how foolish Percy really is," she smirked.

Apollo shakes his head. "More like it proves how much our children are different from us. Having your own daughter help him,"

Athena flustered. "That is _not_ true!"

"And neither are you," Poseidon told Athena. "My son is not foolish, and he is not the thief."

"Oh, really?" Athena scoffed. "Then how do you not know he was there trying to steal Ares' shield?"

That was when Ares walked out of the throne room. They couldn't find out about his plan.

Poseidon didn't say anything except press his lips firmly together and give Zeus a hard stare.

Zeus' glare slowly turned away.

Ares smirked. He was doing a fine job.

* * *

**Please review so I know you're enjoying this story! :)**


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